Harry Potter and the Lost Souls
by Gohan's Onna2
Summary: Harry is finishing his last year of school, but he is busy searching for the Horcruxes, keeping numerous females at bay, and finding true love. Will he find everything that he is searching for? Will he defeat Voldemort, or will he lose everything?
1. Lonely Soul

***I am reposting/rewriting what I have of this story due to being completely unhappy with it. If you have already started reading this story, you **will** have to re-read this. Sorry, but I believe that most people will be happier with the revisions. April 30, 2010***

**Author's Note**: Hey everyone! This is my first ever Harry Potter fic! Keep in mind that I am an experienced author; however, I am new to writing HP fics. I wanted to start out by saying that I have read all the books, but if I make a noticeable mistake, please let me know! Us fanfic authors can't catch _everything_!

But on to the story description! This story is going to be an AU (Alternate Universe) to Harry Potter. Basically the end of book 6 and all of book 7 do not exist in this universe. There may or may not be instances that I take from them, but I am going to act like Harry is going BACK to school for "my" book 7. There is going to be all sorts of yummy darkness in this fic, along with my own unique sense of humor. If you do not like swearing, blood, death, destruction (x10 what JK Rowling wrote), romance, action, adventure, and probably the biggest of them all, SEX, please do not read this story. The normal pairings in the HP series are not going to exist. This is going to be a Harry/Hermione fic, so if you don't like that couple, stop reading now!

**I will be posting any spells that I have created and their meanings at the end of the chapter!**

Now, on to the story!

* * *

HARRY POTTER AND THE LOST SOULS

Chapter One: Lonely Soul

When Harry Potter was born, he didn't know that he was going to lose everything. He had no clue that he would suffer the loss of loved ones, friends, and family. He didn't know that he would have to fight to save the whole world, and he certainly didn't know that he would have to kill to do it either.

He also didn't know he would gain so much from it all.

What he did know however, was that there came a time in everyone's life where you had to make difficult decisions...however, he also knew that those kinds of decisions shouldn't have to be made by a seventeen year old boy.

* * *

It was the end of August, and over the last few days he'd had a lot of time to think about his life, his choices, his decisions, and whether or not he thought they were wrong or right, or perhaps if he could have done something way different to prevent a bad outcome. Many times it just twisted about in his head until he could no longer think of it. No matter what, he figured that he would have lost his friends and family one way or another.

He thought daily of the ones that had died...and of the ones he still had and could still lose. His constant depressing trains of thought had his head aching incessantly, but the thoughts just would not flee his mind. He had so many questions, so many ideas, so much he just wanted to say and do. He just wanted to have someone listen to him, but...it was like no one was there.

He hadn't received much mail except for the Daily Prophet and a few letters from Ron and Hermione. Everyone seemed busy with their lives or with their families, trying to keep them safe. No one came to visit him the whole summer, until the night before his seventeenth birthday, the one night he had been dreading for weeks.

Remus Lupin came alone that night to bring him to Number 12, Grimmauld Place. It was covert and they were both covered in invisibility cloaks the entire time. Harry had the feeling that others were there, watching them from a distance to make sure nothing happened.

Quickly the older man had helped Harry place a new Fidelius Charm upon the unplottable area. Lupin was his Secret Keeper, and Harry had no doubt that the man would rather die than reveal his new home and whereabouts.

The moment he was safely through the door, he let loose a sigh that he felt like he had been holding forever.

From then on, he had been alone. Remus had work to do protecting the Wizarding World, and wasn't able to stay longer than a few hours to make sure his charge was settled in.

Harry was now seventeen, a wanted man, and all alone in the rickety old house. After throwing away half the horrid furniture and scrubbing the living hell out of every surface, he felt more like it was his home rather than a place he would be staying for a short while. Once he felt settled in and made the dwelling somewhat habitable, he began paying attention once more to the outside world. He had been receiving news that attacks from Death Eaters had been increasing; both Muggles and magic folk alike were dying because of Voldemort. Stock markets all around the world were plummeting, wars of so-called terrorism were breaking out, gang violence was increasing, and all out bloodshed was enveloping the planet. Very few places were safe. Things were becoming known and revealing themselves that others had only thought were fantasy. Harry wondered how long it would take before the whole world knew what really existed beneath the surface.

Harry knew that he could, in all likelihood, stay here for the rest of his life. All he really needed was food and possibly some form of entertainment now and then. But upon hearing Sirius's mother, Mrs. Black, screaming about blood traitors and mudbloods and filth living in her home, he decided he would rather take his chances elsewhere and hopefully quickly. Her words only made him more depressed, anyhow.

And that was another problem. Not only did he not want to be here for the rest of his baneful existence, but apparently neither did Ron. His friend had just written him the day after his birthday, telling him about how he was planning on returning to Hogwarts, School of Witchcraft and Wizardry in September. He put up countless arguments as to why it was a good idea, citing that it was one of the safest places in the world, had numerous resources for searching for whatever these Horcrux thingies were that he was always babbling about, and plus Professor Dumbledore's portrait was there.

All perfectly sensible reasons to return to the place that felt more like his home than anywhere else ever had.

His fears for returning had him quickly writing to Hermione, who, in all her genius, wouldn't sugarcoat anything and would give him the cold hard facts.

He received a reply first thing the next day. He didn't want to admit to himself how excited he was to hear from her and see what she had to say as he ripped the envelope nearly to shreds. It read:

_Harry,_

_I was wondering when you would get it through your thick skull and realize that returning to school would, in all probability, be the best choice for not only you, but all of us. Ron was right when he said that it is the safest place for us to be right now, and not only would Professor Dumbledore be available to us, but so would countless others! And with me being elected Head Girl, I will be able to get into the restricted section of the library to research, and possibly even Professor Dumbledore's library. Not only that, but I am sure that Professor McGonagall will help us in whatever way needed._

_I know that this is a hard decision, but this is the fate of the world that we are talking about. It would be so much easier for you to just hide forever, but I know you better than that._

_Let me know if you are planning on returning or not, because if you're not, I'm going to come over there and whack some sense into your head._

_Love always,_

_Hermione_

It was nearing the last few days of August when Harry realized that if he was planning on returning to school, that he would have to go buy his school supplies.

After a lot of thinking and contemplating, Harry sighed with utter melancholy and wrote both of his friends that he would be returning to school with them. It was depressing knowing that he would be going back, but also liberating as well. He just hoped that he would find what he was looking for there: Help, friends, and a place that was safe.

He attempted half-heartedly to get a hold of Mrs. Weasley to see if she could get the Order to come with him, or even go with Ron, but no one answered his Floo. Contemplating going by himself, he realized that he could probably get away with it if he used his Invisibility cloak and went during the right time of the day.

Gathering up a large bag and his cloak, he Apparated (somewhat illegally since he had never taken his test) and made his way into Diagon Alley. There were actually more people than he had thought were going to be there, but he supposed it was good in some ways.

He looked at his list of supplies: mostly books, paper, quills, etc., all items that were easy to get a hold of and wouldn't take him long to get. Unfortunately, as he began walking towards the shops, he also realized that he was in sore need of new clothes and robes. His sixth year clothes had either shrunk or he grew, and he was pretty sure than he had shot up a few more inches since he had gotten his last set of robes. His pants were way too short and his shirts were way too tight, especially across the shoulders. He would look like some kind of freak if he showed himself in public.

Nervously dodging around young witches and wizards being hurried along by their uneasy parents, he made his way into Madam Malkin's Robes for All Occasions. Quickly heading into the back rooms for changing, he removed his cloak and went back to search for several Hogwarts robes and whatever he thought would fit him. Grabbing robes, shirts, pants, shoes, socks, and boxers, he hoped he got everything in the right sizes, because he doubted he would have a chance to return anything.

He walked up to the cashier to check out with his arms full of clothes. He set down everything with a bashful smile when the plump lady gave him an annoyed look and leisurely began ringing up his items.

Harry sighed and began looking around distractedly, trying not to look too suspicious and wishing that the woman would feel some sense of urgency. He felt like he was totally out in the open and his stomach was starting to feel sick from the constant nervousness. Or maybe that was because he hadn't eaten yet that day.

He walked over to a rack with plain t-shirts and began flicking through them as he waited, when something caught his eye. He felt his eyebrow rise at the sight of a pair of long, bare legs, joined with a pair of shapely hips covered in a short, dark gray skirt barely covering the unknown female's bottom. Whoever it was, she was bent over a counter and he couldn't see above her shoulders because a shelf was blocking his way. He started leaning to the side to catch a better look—

"Sir."

He could almost see her face, her long, straight brown hair was up, and she—

"Sir, your things are ready."

Harry turned towards the lady at the old-fashioned cash register with a small sense of frustration. He had really wanted to see the girl's face. If her body was any indication, she was bound to be bloody gorgeous.

He paid for his things and stuffed them in his bag. He headed back to the changing rooms to put his cloak back on and to hopefully catch another glimpse of the girl in the short skirt, but she was gone.

He hurried to Flourish and Blotts to buy his books, all seventh year editions, and distractedly started wondering who would be their Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher this year. He hoped whoever it was wasn't a complete idiot and would actually teach them defense.

Harry pulled off his cloak after walking into the back of the shop, hoping he wasn't noticed since there weren't that many people in there. He walked up and down the aisles and snatched everything he needed as quickly as possible. He almost felt like he was on a mission of some kind, sneaking around trying not to be noticed. It amused him for a while, until a young child caught him creeping around, pointed at him, and started tugging at his mother's robes. When the child whispered something at the mother, she gave him a dirty look and shooed her child away. Harry stopped his sneaking, feeling like a moron.

He walked up to the counter with all the books he needed, praying that this man wouldn't take as long to ring him up.

Thankfully, the man seemed to have the same sense of urgency as him, especially once he sighted the scar on his forehead. Harry felt a comical impulse to smirk at the old fellow, because he started frantically tossing the books into the bag that Harry presented to him.

Done in record time, Harry pitched the coins required into the old man's hands, went back into the rear of the store, threw on his cloak, and departed henceforth.

Harry walked around Diagon Alley thinking of what else he could need, and began wondering if it would be a better idea just to steal the items he needed rather than revealing himself and putting himself at risk. He only needed quills, ink, and paper, so he imagined that he could get away with it.

He began walking towards the store in question when he saw her again. Quickly going to duck behind a corner of a building, Harry chuckled at himself when he remembered he was invisible. She was quite far away, but he could tell it was her because of the white shirt and dark gray, nearly indecent skirt. She had her straight, brown hair up in an elegant pony tail, but she was turned around so he couldn't see her face.

Feeling the same sense of annoyance that he couldn't see her as before, he began walking towards her to see if he could get a better look. She gave the impression of being around his age, so he imagined it was a distinct possibility that she went to Hogwarts.

Out of nowhere, sudden explosions rang out from everywhere. Panicked screams of women and children echoed in his head as he jumped underneath a table outside of the closed ice cream store. He looked around frantically to see the source of the explosions, and his eyes widened in horror at the sight of dozens of black cloaked figures with masks on their faces. It seemed like they were everywhere at once, shooting spells at anyone in their path.

Harry watched as both witches and wizards alike grabbed their family and began Apparating away. He could see people running around in terror, trying to escape the bright flashes of light coming from all directions. People were lying dead in the streets, covered in blood. Body parts littered the sidewalks. Children were crying next to the bodies of their dead parents. Mothers screamed hysterically as they watched their children struck with green light. Buildings were crumbling all around him from the onslaught, and a large chunk of concrete crashed into the table he was under. The wood crumpled instantly, and Harry barely had enough time to roll out from under it. His bag, large and laden with books and clothes, stopped his progress halfway, and he yelled out in pain when the table crashed upon his left leg. Swearing and cursing as he grabbed his limb, he shoved and kicked the rest of the table off him in anger, praying that his leg wasn't broken.

Letting out a ragged sigh when he saw that his skin was ripped open obscenely and blood was pouring out everywhere through his torn pants, he struggled to stand up to get away.

Fixing his cloak around him, he hoped that the noticeable trail of blood dripping onto the ground wouldn't attract attention to him.

People were still screaming around him, but it was noticeably quieter because almost everyone had Apparated or was dead. The Death Eaters were pretty much just looting and torturing the left over people. Standing up as straight as possible, Harry winced as he knew that Apparating was going to be extremely painful. Quickly getting ready to leave, he saw the girl again.

A Death Eater was standing above her, laughing maniacally as she trembled with her hands over her head, trying to vainly protect herself. He could see blood covering her head and fingers, and knew that she had been hurt.

Anger surged through him at the sight. How could someone be so evil as to attack someone when they were down? She was just an innocent bystander, all of these people were, none of them deserved this! None of them deserved to die!

"_Sectumsempra!" _

The Death Eater screamed in agony as gashes appeared all over his body. Harry could see blood spurt from underneath the mask, and running as fast as he could with his injured leg, he shoved the Death Eater down, grabbed his wand, snapped it in two, and threw it in his face.

"Bastard!" Harry yelled in fury at him, kicking him in the side and causing the masked man to curl in on himself, and then Harry pointed his wand at him and shouted, _"Sectumsempra Maxima!"_

Below him, the man nearly exploded into a pile of blood. All Harry knew was that he had stopped moving and that was all that mattered.

Harry dove on the girl as more debris fell around them, for other Death Eaters had seen the attack on their fellow member and were firing spells in their direction.

"Do you know how to Apparate!?" he yelled above the noise, hoping that the young woman wasn't unconscious. He felt her vigorously nod against his chest as he tried to protect her, and he winced as he felt something gash his side and hit his back.

Grimacing as he forced them both to stand, he shoved the girl away from him, encouraging her to Apparate. He heard her draw in a deep breath from the pain, and the last he saw of her was her spinning around and disappearing with a loud pop. He hoped that she didn't splinch herself from the sound of that pop.

Jerking around himself, he closed his eyes as he felt the unfamiliar tube envelop his body, landing him safely back at the doorstep of Number 12, Grimmauld Place.

Gasping in pain from his leg and the gash in his side, he crawled to the door, barely managed to open it, and fell inside. He kicked the door closed with his good leg and laid there, breathing raggedly.

He had almost died. He had almost gotten himself killed.

Adrenaline was pumping through his body, but oddly enough he could still feel the pain. He was stupid. He couldn't believe that he had made such a stupid mistake, such an idiotic decision! What if—?

"Who's there! Come out where I can see you!"

Harry wrenched his head upward, and realized that he was still covered in his Invisibility cloak. Tugging enough of it off him to reveal his face, he exhaled raggedly at the sight of Lupin in the doorway.

"Harry! What the...what the hell were you doing? Are you injured?" Lupin asked hurriedly, running towards him and yanking off the rest of the cloak. He gasped at the sight of his body, for apparently he was worse than he had thought. He was covered in splattered blood from head to toe, but upon further inspection, most of it seemed to be someone else's.

In a shaky voice, the older man pointed his wand at his midsection and said, _"Episkey."_

Harry felt a hot sensation all over his body, and then suddenly a cool feeling. He relaxed some as nearly all of the pain went away, but his leg still seemed to be injured.

Lupin tore the rest of his pant leg away to get a better look at his limb. He mumbled a few things as he attempted to move it and Harry hissed in pain. "Your shin is pretty bad; it might take a few days for it to heal, but it seems to only be a flesh wound. Keep it wrapped and take some pain potions. Otherwise, you seem to be alright. Stupid, but alright."

Harry sat up and rubbed his face, sighing. "Thanks, Lupin."

His old professor helped him stand and limp into the kitchen. Once he was in a chair Lupin went back to retrieve his items.

"So it looks like you went to Diagon Alley," Lupin mused, dumping out everything in the bag onto the kitchen table and rifling through them without a by your leave. Harry frowned, but then shrugged to himself. Let the man snoop, it wasn't like he had done anything bad.

"Did you get everything for school?"

Harry sagged in his chair and rested his leg on the opposite side of the table, feeling it sting as he moved it. "No, but I should be able to bum some items off my friends. I have all my books, but I wasn't able to get all the supplies and whatnot. Oh, and the clothing store I went to was positively amazing in the style department," he said sarcastically, resting his head on the back of the chair, closing his eyes. His head and leg were starting to pound.

"Well, you can always go to a Muggle clothing store. It might actually be safer. I have some Muggle currency if you feel up to it."

Harry thought about it, but shook his head. "Not today. I'm in too much pain right now. Maybe tomorrow if I'm up to it. I only have three more days until school starts."

Harry opened his eyes when he heard Lupin's chair scrape against the floor. The older man came next to him and pointed his wand and left hand at him. A light blue glow came from the tip of his wand, and Harry felt his pain lift. He sat up in his chair.

"What spell did you use?" Harry asked, flexing his leg and standing. His pain was completely gone.

"It's a little known Auror spell. _Lenio Adflictatio_. It is supposed to take away pain, but it only goes so far. If your arm is ripped off, I doubt it would work effectively. It also wears off after a few hours, so you will have to recast the spell. All you have to do is point your wand at the person and it relieves all pain in the body. A potion is always better, but not when you are in need of immediate pain relief."

"Great, I think this spell will come in handy," Harry observed, rolling his head around his neck and flexing all the muscles in his body. He felt like nothing had ever happened. The only evidence was his still-bloody leg.

Lupin smiled at the boy and patted his shoulder. After searching his face for several moments, he said, "Maybe I should stay here with you until you go to Hogwarts. How does that sound?"

Surprised, Harry felt warmth grow in his chest as happiness he had not experienced for some time came to life inside him. He had been so alone, had wanted someone—anyone—to talk to, to spend time with....

He smiled at his father's old best friend.

"Sounds great, Lupin."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Well, this is my first chapter! Please let me know what you think! I should be posting fairly quickly, depending on my flow of thought and *crosses fingers* no writer's block! Please review, it's how us mere author's get paid! Mwahahaha!

* * *

**Latin Words, meanings, and the spell:**

Lenio Adflictatio - Lenio [to make mild, mitigate, relieve]. Adflictatio [pain, torture].

Sectumsempra Maxima – Sectumsempra [from the books, causes huge gashes to appear all over the body]. Maxima [used from the movie Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, where Dumbledore uses Maxima to increase the strength of a spell].


	2. The Vision

**Author's Notes**: Thank you to everyone who reviewed! I highly appreciate all of you, and you inspired me to post soon :D

* * *

Chapter Two: The Vision

Harry spent all of his time with Lupin on the last three days before school. They both went out to London to different stores, buying Harry much needed clothes. They both laughed about burning Dudley's clothes once they returned home. Lupin then joked that with the way Harry was growing, he might actually need Dudley's clothes, but then Harry had jumped on him and they had both wrestled until Lupin begged for mercy.

They went to several Muggle places to eat, and Harry experienced much amusement as Lupin tasted the Muggle versions of food he was used to eating. He was much like Mr. Weasley, but slightly more subtle.

They attempted to get quills, ink, and paper in London, but they only had pens, pencils, and notebooks for paper. Harry wasn't worried about it, Hermione always had lots of extra supplies and Ron probably wouldn't mind sharing either.

During their time at home, they mostly talked. Harry learned a lot from Lupin, about life, the world, everything really. He was like a fountain of information and Harry couldn't get enough to drink. He continually had the older man laughing because of all his insistent questions. They even went down into the basement where Lupin taught him a few Auror spells he thought Harry would have need of in the future. Then he made him swear that he would never tell anyone where he had learned them from. Harry had just nodded at everything he said, absorbing everything like a sponge.

They stayed up late every night of those three days, and stuffed their faces with bad food, candy, and laughed about everything and nothing. At one point Lupin had even said he felt like a teenager again. That made Harry smile.

The day that it was time to return to school, Lupin escorted Harry to Platform 9 ¾, where the train would be leaving. There was tons of security, lots of Aurors and even some of the professors were there, aiding the students onto the train quickly. Harry discerned immediately that the train was going to be leaving more swiftly than usual, and he didn't even have time to look for his friends. Lupin helped him with his things until they got to one of the numerous entrances to the train. Harry felt odd saying goodbye to the man, and if anything, he didn't want to go. He had helped him with so much since Sirius had died, almost as if he was trying to take his place, but Harry didn't fault him for wanting to help. He was a good man.

Harry smiled awkwardly as he set down his trunk and Hedwig's cage, making the bird squawk indignantly. Lupin was scratching the back of his graying head, trying to look like he didn't care, but out of nowhere he grabbed Harry and embraced him fiercely, almost to the point of pain.

"Harry, I want you to listen to me. If anything happens, I want you to disappear. Come to Grimmauld if you can, that is where I am going to be staying for now on, just in case you need me. I will be here for you if you need me, I promise."

Harry felt his throat close as he nodded against the fraying fabric of Lupin's coat. "I promise," he whispered, embracing the man back just as the whistle on the train began to blow.

It was harder than he thought to leave his father's best friend. He felt like...like he had another father figure in his life again. Terror clasped his heart at the thought of losing him...just like he had lost Sirius.

The train whistle blew again and he nodded to the aging man, trying to swallow the lump in his throat as he turned away and boarded the train.

Carrying Hedwig and his trunk into the nearest empty room, he closed the door and sat down, staring blankly at the empty seat in front of him.

_Yet another year,_ he thought. _The last year...._

There seemed to be quite a few students on the train, which surprised Harry. He had been thinking that a lot of parents would be keeping their kids home due to Voldemort, but they seemed to be thinking the same thing as him: Hogwarts was safer than home.

"Hey, mate!"

Harry blinked at the sight of Ron bursting in through the door. His red hair was shorter than his usual style, but Harry noticed that it made him look older. He had grown another inch or two, and his shoulders had broadened in the few months that they had been apart. He wasn't as much of a skinny red-haired pole as he used to be, in fact, it looked like he had gained a lot of muscle in the short amount of time they had been apart.

"Hey, Ron. You look great," Harry acknowledged, watching as his friend plopped down on the seat in opposite him. Ron waved his compliment off as he started going on about how a lot of the students had returned and that he was disappointed he had been made Prefect again instead of Head Boy like he had wanted. He complained about Hermione and how she had been made Head Girl, but then he started talking about how he had barely heard from her over the summer and that he hadn't seen her yet.

Harry shrugged at most of his best mate's ramblings. "I haven't seen her either, but I imagine she's here probably doing her Head Girl duties. She wrote to me a couple times over the summer, but not as much as she usually does. I wonder why," he said absentmindedly, thinking of his only female best friend. She had said she would do as much research as she could over the summer about Voldemort and the Horcruxes, but he hadn't really heard anything about it. He wondered if she had forgotten....

"Maybe she's in the Head cabin. Professor McGonagall made more Heads this year than usual. Six Prefects and two Heads in each House I think," Ron mentioned, then frowned. "Someone mentioned to me though that McGonagall also appointed two Heads to be over everyone, that way not all the Heads and Prefects were coming to her for help."

Harry half laughed, half snorted. "So there are two Head Heads?" Ron laughed, shaking his head.

"Yeah, I guess you would call it that. Ha, I bet Hermione is a Head Head."

Ron and Harry laughed about it for several minutes, wondering who the two Head Heads were, until someone knocked on the door. Expecting Hermione, both were disappointed and surprised to see Professor McGonagall in the doorway.

The Headmistress eyed both of them for several moments, as if expecting them to be doing something bad, but then nodded politely as if she was acknowledging they weren't. "Mr. Weasley, would you please excuse me and Potter for a moment?"

Ron frowned briefly, but nodded and left the cabin, closing the door behind him. Harry sat up straighter when the Headmistress sat opposite him, folding her hands primly in her lap after placing several silencing and protection spells on the compartment.

"How are you doing, Harry?" she asked concernedly. Harry sensed she was dissecting his features, and he felt odd sitting there with her alone. Was there something on his face? He sneered at his inner self, wondering where that thought had come from.

He shrugged, but when she gave him a glare, he decided to answer verbally. "I'm fine, Professor. Just wanting to get to Hogwarts safe."

The older woman nodded, understanding. "We have many safety measures in place right now, Harry. If we are attacked, which I doubt we will be, we will be protected." She looked at him closely again, and Harry had the distinct feeling that something peculiar was going on.

He raised his eyebrow. "Is there...something you want to ask me, Professor?"

She felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. "How observant you are, Mr. Potter. Actually yes, there is something I wish to ask of you, but you are free to turn me down."

Harry looked at her strangely, wondering what in the world she could want to ask him that was important enough not to wait until they arrived at the castle. As he studied her features, he could tell that the stresses of the past year were getting to her. Her face seemed strained, and she looked way older than she really was. More gray was appearing from underneath her pointed witch's hat, and her normal green robe was replaced with a stark black one, giving her an even more severe look.

"Mr. Potter, as I am sure you do not know, we had a recent death concerning one of our Hogwarts students. Pansy Parkinson and her family were killed just a few days ago." Harry gasped, surprised. Although he did not like Pansy, especially with her being part of the Slytherin House, he didn't think she deserved to die. "She was a Slytherin Prefect, and she was awarded Chief Head Girl this year. Unfortunately, since she has passed, I have been forced to make some changes to the system. Your friend, Hermione Granger, was awarded her position, and now I am left without a Head. I was wondering if you would be interested in the position."

Harry stared at her, stunned. He admitted to himself that when Ron and Hermione were made Prefects two years ago he had been severely jealous, especially when Ron was made one over him...but he couldn't imagine being a Head when Ron was more qualified for the position.

"Before you answer, I want to let you know some of the benefits of being a Head. You will have your own room in Gryffindor Tower, and a common room which would be shared with the other Prefects and Head. You will have no restrictions concerning when you need to be to your room at night, for all that I care, you can be out all night...however much I would not recommend that," she said stiffly, but with a small quirk to the corner of her mouth when he sat up even straighter. "You have your own Head bathroom in which you will have more privacy against others, unlike the common bathrooms that your fellow Gryffindors must share. It is something like the Prefect bathroom that I am sure you have seen considering your past. You will have full access to the library's restricted section, which, from what I hear...you may need." She raised her eyebrow at him and watched him closely. "I will also be giving you and a select few constant right of entry to my office." She sighed, looked troubled, then continued. "I am not just giving you this position because I think you are a good choice, for you are, but I am also giving you this position because Professor Dumbledore and I have had a chat...and I agree with him when I say that you need all available assistance and resources you can possibly get this year." She leaned forward, nearly whispering. "I am not expecting you to so much be a...student...this year, Harry. I think you know what I mean. If for some reason you need to miss a class, report to me, and I will excuse you. I am on your side, Potter."

Harry felt a huge smile appear on his face. This seemed almost too perfect; he was actually getting help to fight against Voldemort! With the last Horcruxes to destroy, this was just way too good to be true. Being a normal student would have made this hard...but Professor McGonagall had just made his life way easier.

"I accept, Professor," he decided, shaking her outstretched hand. She was also smiling, making her look much younger.

"That is excellent, Potter. Here is your badge," she said, placing the silver badge of a large "H" in his hand, surrounded by each house's mascot and house colors. "Now I suggest going to the Head compartment and meeting the other House Heads. You will all be working together this year very closely."

Harry nodded and went to grab Hedwig's cage and his trunk. Professor McGonagall waved him off. "Do not worry about your things; they will be taken care of. I only recommend that you change into your robes now to put a good impression upon the other students."

Harry nodded once more and waited for the Headmistress to leave before he tugged on his black robe and pinned his badge to his chest. He stared at it a few moments before he was interrupted by another knock on the door. Frowning, he flung it open and almost fell backwards as Ron toppled in.

"Hey mate, be careful with—"

Ron stopped when he saw the badge on Harry's chest. "When did you—?"

"Professor McGonagall just made me one of the Heads of Gryffindor House. Hermione is replacing Pansy Parkinson as Chief Head Girl because Pansy and her family were killed...McGonagall needed a new Head to replace Hermione, so she chose me."

Ron stared at him in disbelief, and Harry knew that he was thinking that he should have been made Head, not Harry. Immediately wanting to make his best mate feel better about the situation, he said, "Don't feel bad, Ron. We will almost be sharing the same room again, and Hermione will be with us too. Hey," he whispered sneakily, "maybe you can slip into her room, eh?"

Ron laughed uneasily and started scratching the back of his head. "I don't know, Harry. Hermione acts like she likes me, but at the same time, I'm scared of her. Plus she was distant the whole summer with me, she barely even wrote me. I bet she wrote you more than me...."

It was probably the truth, but that wasn't what Harry was going to say. They were getting closer to Hogwarts and they hadn't even seen her yet, so Harry suggested going to find her. Ron agreed reluctantly, his shoulders drooping.

"You think that if I asked her out, she would say yes?" Ron asked quietly, not wanting to attract attention.

"Hell yeah, Ron. I know she's liked you since forever, but you two are just too chicken to ask one another. You should definitely ask."

Ron and Harry had a small laugh over how funny it would be to see Ron asking Hermione out and the possible outcomes. Neither had very much experience with girls, but both agreed that they would try to get a serious girlfriend this year. Thinking of a girlfriend, Harry instantly thought of Ginny...he had told her that they couldn't be together because of the danger...would it be possible to get back together with her? He had told her that he wasn't planning on coming back, and now that he was...maybe it was a possibility...a distinct possibility.

"How is Ginny doing?" Harry asked, walking by several compartments with students goofing off. He even passed several with couples making out and groping each other. Rolling his eyes at the sight, he continued his search for Hermione.

"She's good...she was quiet most of the summer. I think she was sulking over you, mate."

Harry stopped to look at Ron, and noticed for the first time how they were almost of equal height. Ron had always been slightly taller than him, and Harry felt amazed that he had grown so much as to catch up to him. He wondered what else had changed about himself over the summer.

"Wow," Harry said, surprised. "Do you think she would...you know, go out with me again?"

Ron shrugged, deflating Harry's hope. "I don't know, man. She was sulky all summer, yes, but when we talked about you, she always got quiet and acted like she didn't care. Maybe it's some sort of female defense mechanism."

Harry felt his face twist in confusion. "Defense mechanism? What the hell is that?"

Ron laughed. "I don't know, I heard dad talking about it one day, how mum acts certain ways and he said that's how she defends herself, she shuts herself off from things so they don't bother her. Maybe you should do some sort of a trial and error thing. Watch her and try to be around her and see how she acts. If she acts interested, then maybe she wants to go back out with you. If she doesn't, then I would back away and go for someone else. There are lots of girls in the school, Harry. You don't have to just go after Ginny."

Harry snorted. "Yeah, so that makes sense why you've been chasing Hermione's skirt since you've known her."

Harry laughed when his best friend stuck his tongue out at him, and then stopped in front of compartment A1, where the Heads and Prefects usually hung out. They looked inside and saw Hermione reclined across the whole cushion with a book in her face. She was alone.

Ron jerked the door open, startling the girl inside. She gasped, dropped her book, and jumped up in anger, prepared to scold whoever was stupid enough to intrude so rudely.

With her finger pointed in the air and ready to admonish the pitiful soul that interrupted her, Ron grabbed her and squeezed her until she squeaked.

"Hermione! Oh, how I have missed thee!"

She sputtered and tried to shove him off her. "Ron, let go of me you oaf! You are impossible, you know?" She pushed away from him and brushed back her hair, trying to fix her skirt and shirt that he had rumpled upon his attack.

Ron backed off as Harry entered the compartment and closed the door. Harry tried to shove his friend out of the way or make him sit down, but it was as if Hermione had hit him with a _Petrificus Totalus_ curse. He wouldn't even budge.

"Ron, what the hell, mate. Sit down or—"

Harry figured out immediately what it was that Ron was staring at.

_Hermione._

Both Ron and Harry stared at the vision in shock. They had once seen her look something like this at the Yule Ball a few years back, but that had been once and when they had been younger. Now....

Her hair was down in a silken curtain of curls. Instead of bushy and frizzy like it normally was, it looked soft and smooth. Her style of clothing seemed to have changed as well; her shirt was tight against her chest and showed off curves that neither had ever noticed on the girl before. She was wearing a dark blue skirt that went to mid-thigh, not looking like she was trying to attract attention but drawing attention nonetheless. And her face—

"Are you wearing makeup?" Ron stated the obvious, blurting it out like an idiot. Hermione's face flamed and she attempted to cover her face, but Harry punched Ron as hard as he could in the shoulder, effectively making him fall and get out of his way as he yelled "OUCH! That bloody hurt, you—"

"You're stupid, Ron," Harry hissed, moving in front of Hermione and opening his arms. She didn't hesitate a moment before she flung herself into his embrace, squeezing him gently. Harry held her close as he rested his chin on top of her head, smiling. He really had gotten taller. He then moved her away, wanting to get a real look at her. She looked to be close to tears, but Harry knew she wouldn't let them fall. She was too prideful to let it show that Ron's words had hurt her. But even with her watery eyes, she looked lovely. Her hair was much longer than it had ever been, but it looked good on her. Her tight clothes showed him curves that he couldn't believe she even had, and made him feel almost wary. Little Hermione wasn't a girl anymore...she was a woman.

"You look beautiful, Hermione," Harry said softly, hugging her once more and then letting her go. She blinked a few times and nodded as she stepped away, sitting back down again and grabbing her book. Ron tried to sit next to her but Harry shoved him back into the opposite seat. Ron looked confused, but Harry gave him a silencing motion with his hand against his throat, telling him to shut up.

Hermione buried her face back behind her book, almost as if she was trying to hide her features. Harry could still see the slight stain of pink on her cheeks, and wanted to bash Ron on the head for being so stupid.

"So Hermione, did you see?"

Wanting to draw her attention away from her book, Harry pointed to the badge on his chest. Hermione looked out of the corner of her eyes, and then gasped in surprise when she saw that Harry had been appointed as Head Boy.

"Oh, Harry! That's wonderful!" she cried, literally throwing her book aside as she leapt at him to hug him. Her arms wrapping around him tight, he unexpectedly sensed something odd, something much more different than when Hermione had hugged him before. He felt _everything;_ he felt her draw in a deep breath against the side of his face, where hers was pressed warmly; he could smell her sweet flowery scent from her shampoo, and her soft, gentle hand against his skin at the nape of his neck. He could feel her breasts pressed against his chest, her legs brushing against his as well. Whatever was going on, it made his whole body suddenly..._aware_ of her.

Scared, he almost shoved her away. He had never felt anything like that before, especially from Hermione, and he didn't know how to react to it, and above all in front of Ron...the boy who liked her.

She was smiling brightly at him as she pulled away. Her face was positively glowing, as if she was genuinely happy that he had been made Head Boy. She looked beautiful smiling like that. Why had he never noticed her smile before?

"You'll have to teach me everything," he said, nearly choking on his own words. His voice had almost cracked mid-sentence, and he felt like a fool. He felt like he was fifteen again, when girls had made him stutter and his voice cracked at odd, completely embarrassing moments.

"Oh, it's easy!" she said, grabbing the book that she had just tossed aside. "It's almost like the military. The top of the totem pole consists of Headmistress McGonagall, then the professors. From there it goes to Filch, the Chief Heads, Heads, and then Prefects. Under the Prefects it's the students. So, for example, if I were to give you an order, Harry, you can go down to Ron and tell him to do it. But, it works the other way if a problem occurs. If a student has gotten in trouble, then Ron would come to you, and then you would come to me if you feel that I am needed. Ron and you can deal out punishments and detentions, but for more severe cases, you might want to come to me so I can go to Professor McGonagall. We go on rounds every now and then to make sure everything is in order, and take care of anything that Professor McGonagall needs us to do. Understand?"

Harry stared at her, wowed at everything that had just poured out of her mouth nonstop and hardly without a breath. Ron was still pouting on the opposite seat, not even paying attention.

She quirked her eyebrow at him, still wanting an answer. "Y-yeah," he stuttered, making her roll her eyes.

"Good. Then you and Ron can go on rounds now. Make sure everything is ok and stop any horsing around. Report back to me when you are done."

Ron stood with Harry, happy to be leaving. Harry left first and then Ron, who slammed the door behind him. Harry gave him a confused look, not understanding why he was acting this way.

"What's wrong with you, Ron?"

Ron jerked open a compartment door and yelled at some second years who were wrestling around. He slammed the door closed when they jumped back into their seats.

"Everything's wrong, mate. Did you see her? What the hell, man? She's bloody gorgeous now! She's never going to want me, especially when every guy is going to be sniffing up her skirts now. I mean, did you see her? I almost had to cross my legs to keep from—"

Harry sighed loudly, interrupting him from finishing his sentence. "Ron, first off, stop being stupid. Hermione has always been pretty...it was just that other guys didn't see around her bossy nature and her hair. So what, she fixes her hair and wears some lip gloss? She's still Hermione to me," he said, that odd seed that had been planted in the back of his mind tickling his brain. "She...she's always been pretty, Ron. I think you should still ask her out."

Ron shook his head. "She will say no. Especially after saying 'are you wearing makeup' like a complete bloody idiot. She looked like she wanted to cry. I'm so stinking stupid, Harry."

Harry felt bad for his friend, but there wasn't much he could do but try to encourage him. "Maybe you should say sorry or something. Make it up to her somehow."

Ron lapsed into a depressed silence, mumbling to himself at how dumb he was with girls. Harry just shook his head as they continued their rounds, that strange seed in the back of his head continuing to bother him.

* * *

**Author's Note**: Please review and let me know what you think!


	3. Kicked

**Author's Note**: Enjoy!

* * *

Chapter Three: Kicked

Arriving at Hogwarts, the Prefects and Heads were the last to leave the train. They checked all the compartments and made sure everyone had left, and then the Prefects cleaned up everyone's mess.

Harry noticed that Hermione liked to keep the Heads closer to her than the Prefects, and he figured it had something to do with the ranking structure that she had described to him. Ernie Macmillan was her counterpart Chief Head Boy. Both Ron and Harry sneered behind his back at how close he was sticking to her. Ron even commented on how his hand had touched her shoulder and lower back one too many times. He even seemed to be making her giggle much more than usual.

Harry chuckled to himself at how much Ron kept talking about punching Ernie in the face. He imagined that Ron could probably take him; Ernie hadn't grown as much over the summer as Ron had. Harry had to cover his mouth with his hand before he laughed out loud at the sight of Ron flexing his rather impressive arm muscles and mimicking punches into his hand as he talked about giving Ernie something to remember him by for touching his girl. A snort escaped instead of a laugh, and several sixth year girls gave him odd looks as they walked up to the castle after the short carriage ride.

Hermione and Ernie separated once they reached the Great Hall, and Harry shoved Ron closer to Hermione, almost knocking him into her. Ron gave him an exasperated look over his shoulder as he walked next to the girl he liked, hoping to gain her attention from her Chief Head Girl duties.

"So...Hermione, how was your summer?" Harry heard him say awkwardly as they walked off, their conversation growing distant.

Harry looked around for familiar faces, and smiled as he saw all his Gryffindor friends sitting at the table and all talking actively, asking each other how their summer was, appraising their new looks or how they had grown taller, and he even noticed flirting amongst some of them.

He stopped when he reached the table, debating on sitting next to Ron or someone else that he hadn't yet talked to.

"You can sit next to me," someone said, noticing his apparent indecision.

Harry smile faltered at the sight of Ginny Weasley. She hadn't changed an ounce over the summer. Her hair was exactly the same, her clothes revealing, her body still thin and almost under developed, nearly to the point of being too skinny and unnatural. She wasn't nowhere near as voluptuous as Herm—he stopped his train of thought right there. Somehow...he had been expecting more. Maybe she was sick? Well, the good news was that her hair was still dazzling.

Sitting next to her, Harry's smile became stiff when she scooted a little too close to him, making him feel uncomfortable.

"How was your summer, Harry?" she said softly, quirking her head to the side and making her long red tresses tumble to the side. Momentarily distracted by the sight of the light shining through the strands of her hair, Harry looked back at her face and felt another frown crease his forehead when he saw her looking up at him through her long eyelashes. Was she flirting with him?

He watched her fingers as she began playing with her hair, and then looked back at her face once again. Wanting to punch himself in the head for being so easily distracted, he began telling her of his boring, lonely summer.

After telling her, he was surprised at the lack of sympathy. Even Ron had sympathized with him for not visiting, and he was _known_ for having the emotional range of a teaspoon. She quickly went into the story of her own wonderful summer, of how she had gotten a boyfriend, how hot he was and how he treated her so amazing, oh, and she had even lost some weight, could he tell? Oh, and how her boyfriend and her were planning on keeping contact through the school year. He was much older than her, 23 to be exact. He was so mature and he made a lot of money, which her mum was excited about. Oh, and he said he would never leave her no matter what—

Standing up quickly in disgust, Harry left her sitting there shocked at his abrupt dismissal. He had better things to do than listen to a little girl subconsciously whine about how he had left her to keep her safe, which was something he had—and still—hated himself for. If she was going to be petty about how he had left her, then fine. He had _way_ better things to do. He couldn't believe he had actually sat there and listened to her whole spiel about how abso-bloody-lutely amazing her old as hell boyfriend was. He almost wanted to gag.

Pissed beyond belief, Harry sat himself in between Ron and Neville. Both were carrying on their own conversations with others at the table and had barely acknowledged his presence.

"Harry."

Looking up in annoyance, he was hardly surprised to see Hermione. "What?" he asked, perhaps too harshly, because she glared at him, utterly insulted at his tone. Throwing his head back and rolling his eyes up to the ceiling of stars, he sighed.

"Sorry," he mumbled, standing when she prompted him to with a hand gesture. Giving her a confused look, he followed her out of the Great Hall and noticed right away that they were headed towards Gryffindor Tower.

Before he could ask why, she said, "We were asked by Professor McGonagall to make sure that the Tower was safe and in proper order before the students arrive."

At his confused look, she continued. "New procedure I guess. The Professors want to make sure that everything is always in place at all times and that the younger students are always safe. This is just a precaution, and since we are the Heads of Gryffindor, then it is our responsibility. The other house Heads are checking as well."

Nodding, Harry walked side by side with her through the hallways and up the numerous stairs. Portraits greeted them and Hermione thanked them. After a short distance of silence, Hermione sighed and stopped.

"What's wrong, Harry?"

Startled at her question, he just stared at her.

Rolling her eyes in frustration, she tugged his arm to make him keep walking and talking at the same time.

"Something is wrong with you. You've gotten quiet since we've been back."

Wanting to tell her to leave him alone, he stopped just before the words were leaving his tongue. Her arm was still wrapped through his, her hip sometimes brushing against his as they walked. Odd...he knew that she had done this before, but why was he all of a sudden noticing?

"I'm...I'm upset at Ginny."

Hermione gave him a concerned look at they reached the portrait of the Fat Lady.

"Taboo Voodoo."

The Fat Lady greeted them kindly and swung open, revealing the common room.

Sighing in relief, Harry plopped himself down on a squashy arm chair and closed his eyes.

"So...you never finished what you were saying about Ginny."

Harry opened one eye to see Hermione leaning over the back of the chair and looking down at him. He closed his eyes again.

"She purposefully said things to make me upset, and whether or not they were truthful, it was still childish and I can't believe the words came out of her mouth. And she looked sickly, like she hadn't eaten enough food over the summer."

Hermione stared down at the dark haired boy and flicked his hair out of his eyes, which caused them to open again. She smiled down at him, surprised at how much she had missed just simple talks with him. She had been so busy over the summer with her own life that she had neglected their friendship, and she regretted it now.

"What did she say?" she asked softly, honestly concerned. She had always looked out for Harry in ways that Ron never had, and she planned on keeping it that way.

Harry stared up at her as she continued to run her fingers gently through his perpetually messy hair and he felt himself lulled by the motions.

"She talked about how she had gotten a boyfriend over the summer that treated her good...and would never leave her. And he's 23!"

Hermione suddenly snorted in an unladylike manner and stood up straight, removing her fingers from his hair. She started stalking around the common room, adjusting this pillow and straightening that chair, looking irritated all the while.

Harry sat up and watched her in amusement as she took whatever anger she was feeling out on some poor red pillow that wasn't in the shape of her liking.

"That is so childish of Ginny. I can't believe she would say something like that. All she did all summer was write to me _whining_ about how much she missed you and wanted you, and then she goes and hurts your feelings, how much sense does that make—I mean come on!" she sneered, physically punching the pillow and then throwing it onto the sofa before beating it some more. "You don't need all that drama; we need to be concentrating on finding those Horcruxes and getting rid of Voldemort!" She beat the pillow some more. "You don't need some simpering female playing games with you...wow; usually it's the man that plays games with the female! Trying to pull things over on you and trying to get laid when that's totally not what you want, and then you find out that nice guy was just a jerk trying to get into your pants! I hate men!"

Harry felt confusion fill his features as he sat up further in his chair, watching as Hermione beat the living crap out of the red pillow. When it exploded feathers under her livid resentment, she promptly swept her wand through the air and made it come back together as if nothing had ever happened. Meanwhile Harry continued to sit there confused as to how the conversation had changed from Ginny being childish to how Hermione hated men and something about a jerk getting into someone's pants?

_Wait...what?_

Harry stood and walked slowly over to Hermione, realizing that she could have very possibly been talking about herself and some guy trying to get into her pants.

"Hermione...did something happen over the summer?"

She waved him away in frustration, not one to be coddled over. "I don't want to talk about it."

Harry sat in front of her on the arm of a chair as she tried to gently rearrange the pillow that had just suffered her wrath. After it was in a position that pleased her, she sighed and ran her fingers through her hair, tumbling her curls attractively around her face. She tried to avoid looking at him, but she ended up catching his gaze. She sighed again as she sat across from him on another chair.

"I had a boyfriend over the summer."

Harry stared at her, completely shocked beyond belief. Hermione...had a boyfriend? Wow, Ron was not going to like that one. He would probably go on some tangent saying that he had been waiting for her, and how dare she...blah blah blah.

"He was a total gem, he was sweet and took me out, and he was intelligent and held intellectual conversations with me. He bought me things that I never had, and he made me feel pretty. His parents were apparently loaded because he was always buying me anything that I even looked at, despite my protestations." She began fiddling with the collar of her white shirt, and then the hem of her skirt. Harry found himself wondering if this "boyfriend" had something to do with Hermione's new look and clothes.

"We were dating for almost two months when it was almost time for me to come back to school. His idea of saying goodbye was...was having sex with me, and when I said no, I wasn't that type of girl, he became somewhat forceful and I jinxed the hell out of him. I could have gotten in trouble, but I thankfully remembered to wipe his memory of the last two months." She looked at him, almost surprised that she had let all of that fall out of her mouth. She looked down at the gold and red carpet, her face turning pink as she continued to pluck at her skirt.

"I'm sorry, Harry. I didn't mean for all that to come out. I didn't even want you or Ron to know, because it was just something you guys would worry about. I wouldn't be surprised if Ron hunted the guy down and made his life miserable." She laughed nervously and shifted uncomfortably on the spot she was sitting.

Harry really didn't know what to say...so instead, he opened his arms. She instantly leaned forward to grab onto his shirt and buried her face in his neck. He felt her tremble for just a brief moment, as if she was reliving the bad memory, but she shook her head and pulled away quickly.

"The kids are going to be coming up here any moment, and I don't want them to catch us hugging...they may think we are together and I don't want rumors flying around right now. I don't need drama and neither do you, Harry."

Nodding in understanding, Harry followed her across the common room to another painting almost hidden in the corner. A picture of a lion and lioness were lying on the ground in a grassy savanna, flicking their tails at each other. Harry had always admired this painting, for the lions never talked, just watched.

"Oh, ut exsisto solvo."

Harry cocked an eyebrow at Hermione, not sure what the Latin words meant.

"'Oh, to be free' in Latin," she said, smiling.

Harry made sure to commit the password to memory as he knew he would be using it often.

Walking up a short flight of carpeted stairs, Harry felt his eyes widen at his first sight of the Gryffindor Prefect and Head common room. Just like the main common room it was filled with crimson and gold, but there were more subtle hints of black and silver here and there that made the room less stark and cozier. There were eight (even squashier than usual) arm chairs and one love seat surrounding a large coffee table with an absolutely huge fireplace which was bigger than the one in the main common room. There was even a black fuzzy blanket thrown over the back of the love seat and it looked like the perfect place to curl up and nap for the afternoon.

Looking up, Harry was dazzled by the sight of the ceiling reflecting the night sky, just like it did in the Great Hall. The stone walls were covered in Gryffindor banners of crimson and gold and seemed to hold in the heat of the room, unlike the main common room which always felt drafty in the winter.

"The fireplace can be used for Floo as well, but the Network is very sporadic right now because of everything going on. But otherwise, how do you like it?"

Harry grinned and shook his head in amazement. "It's great! The only thing I regret is not becoming a Head sooner! So where are our rooms?"

Hermione laughed softly at how excited he was and pointed her hand in the direction of the doors that led to the separate rooms. Their common room was small, comfy, and as Harry just noticed, completely circular. Hermione pointed at each of the individual doors in a circle.

"My room is closest to the entrance, and then yours is next to mine. After that it is Ron, Lavender Brown, Colin Creevey, Romilda Vane, Ritchie Coote, and Natalie McDonald."

Hermione went and sat on the love seat, at which she flipped off her shoes and curled her long legs underneath her. She relaxed against the arm of the seat and sighed. Following shortly behind her, Harry sat on the opposite end of the love seat.

"I love it in here. So calm and peaceful, and it's even better because we are Heads, and if the Prefects bother us, we can just tell them to leave." She giggled at the thought. "It's wonderful to think that if Ron gets on my nerves I can order him to go. So awesome."

Harry chuckled at her. She seemed generally peaceful; relaxed and in charge all at the same time. He guessed that when you were as smart as she was you could handle anything, including being in charge of the whole student population.

"So, Harry. Any plans for this year?" Hermione asked affably. She then rolled her eyes at his confused, inquisitive look. "I mean for Voldemort. And not to mention you are going to school, so you are going to have to worry about all of your classes and all that at the same time. I remember last year you were so exhausted and overrun sometimes that it was a wonder you were able to stand."

Harry shrugged nonchalantly as he began tugging off his shoes and his Hogwarts robe. Tossing them on the floor in a blatant uncaring manner, he brought his legs up to the sofa and crossed them at the ankle. Hermione glanced over him quickly, and he saw that she noticed his new clothes.

Harry watched with amusement as Hermione then noticed his feet covered in his white ankle socks lying next to her as if it was the most normal thing in the world, and her tiny nose wrinkled in acute disgust. Taking her pinky and forefinger, she pinched his big toe and moved his left foot, then right foot farther away from her, making Harry burst out laughing.

"Insulted by the smell of my feet, Hermione?" He waggled his eyebrows at her.

Hermione tried to look stern but ended up laughing too. "I thought all men's feet smelled, but oddly enough yours don't!" She giggled. "I did it just to make you laugh."

"Aw, come on. Men's feet don't stink; they smell like flowers and perfume!" Harry insisted, pushing his feet back towards her and making her squeal as she tried to protect herself from his assault. She tried to push his feet away with her hands but just ended up fighting him off with her own feet, which Harry noted were bare and her little nails were painted pink. Startled that he noticed, his one second of hesitation caused Hermione's foot to slide right in between his legs. _Hard_.

Harry reacted before Hermione did. As a high pitched noise came out of his throat in agony, Hermione screeched in horror, having some sort of idea of what pain she had just inflicted upon her best friend. Jumping clear across the sofa to comfort the man that had just instantaneously curled up in a ball and grabbed himself, Hermione tried to say she was sorry but she wasn't really sure what to do. Rubbing his arm and back to console him and beg his forgiveness, she listened with near physical agony at his harsh breathing and strangled groans. His eyes were closed shut, but she noticed his thick eyelashes were wet with tears. Oh God, had she really hit him that hard?

"Harry, oh God, I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to—to hit you there, I was just playing around with you, I'm so sorry. Please forgive me...what do you need me to do? I'll do anything, just—"

"...W-wand."

Hermione grabbed for his wand, which had fallen off the side of the sofa. She placed it in his shaking hand and watched as he pointed it at himself and a light blue glow emerged from the tip of his wand.

Moments later she heard him draw in a deep breath of air in relief. He sat up and rubbed his face with his hand, and then drew his fingers through his messy hair.

"What did you do?" she asked, surprised that his pain was gone. She didn't recall ever reading about a spell that could make pain recede.

"_Lenio Adflictatio_, it makes all pain in the body disappear. Lupin taught it to me the other day when I hurt my leg. Works wonders," Harry muttered, throwing his head back on the couch as he began rubbing his damp eyes.

Hermione moved to sit closer to him, still unbelievably apologetic and not knowing what to do. Harry looked down at the girl who looked like she had been close to tears herself, and threw his arm around her shoulders, hugging her close to him. "It's ok, Hermione. I know you didn't mean it...but damn, remind me never to piss you off. You're stronger than you look!"

Hermione looked down in embarrassment and felt her cheeks turn pink as he squeezed her once more before he released her. "I'm so sorry, Harry. My dad once told me when I was younger that if I ever wanted to hurt a man more than anything then I should kick him there. I would have never kicked you there on purpose."

Harry blinked down at Hermione, who wasn't even looking at him, just had her head down and her hands wringing in her lap. "I think you just prevented me from ever having children."

Gasping in horror, Hermione jerked her head up to look at him only to see him laughing at her. Screwing her face up in anger, she started beating him with her fists. "Harry James Potter, I was honestly upset! How can you joke about that, you bloody jerk? I should just beat the bloody hell out of you!"

Harry tried to restrain the infuriated witch, but like he had said earlier, she was stronger than she looked and he didn't want to hurt her in the process of trying to stop her pummeling. Then again, he didn't want kicked in the balls for a second time either.

Grabbing her flailing fists, he gathered them together and pressed them against his chest to prevent her from escaping. She grunted and struggled to get free, her curly hair flying everywhere and her skirt hiking up her thighs. Harry felt his eyes drawn to the sight of her skirt riding its way up her thighs as she struggled furiously, trying to gain some sort of advantage.

"Let me go you...you idiot! I'm going to hurt you when you let go of me! Just you wait, Harry, I'm going to—"

"Honey, I'm home!"

Harry released Hermione's hands instantly, causing her to fly backwards and land against the arm of the sofa with an inelegant "Oof." She looked disheveled, red in the face, and pissed. Quickly tossing him a dirty look that promised retribution, Hermione stood up and then straightened her hair and skirt. She then threw him the finger. Harry had to stifle a laugh behind his hand.

Ron, Lavender, Colin, Romilda, Ritchie, and Natalie all came up the stairs and stared in awe at the sight of their common room, not even noticing Harry or Hermione's red face. Hermione quickly tugged on her shoes and went over to the group, talking and trying to distract herself. Harry smirked in amusement as she kept tossing dirty looks over her shoulder at him, as if she knew he was watching her.

"So...Hermione, I know in the main common room the males aren't allowed in the female rooms, is it the same in here?" Ron asked, trying not to look suggestive as Hermione stared at him blankly.

Hermione placed her hands on her hips when she figured out what he was getting at. "Well Ron, since you brought it up, _no_ there isn't a preventative spell to keep males from the female rooms, but if I so much as hear a giggle coming from a girl's room or vice versa, I will not hesitate to place the spell and also fire whichever person was stupid enough to try it."

Ron gulped, then looked at Harry for backup. Harry sighed to himself and stood, coming over to the group which was pointedly staring at him except for Hermione. He was still barefoot.

Harry threw his arm around his still-pissed female friend, and then tried to make the..._situation_...look better from a different point of view.

"I think what he _means_, Hermione dear, is that if we want personal study time without interruptions, will it be acceptable to have friends of the opposite sex visit us during appropriate times of the day? Isn't that right, Ron?"

Ron grinned widely, almost looking dim-witted he smiled so hard. "That's exactly what I was trying to say, Harry."

Hermione crossed her arms and tapped her right foot, looking clearly irritated. She sighed audibly when she saw how Harry was looking at her, like he was completely innocent. _Bastard. I will get you back._

"I suppose that is ok, but like I said, if I so much as hear or find out about inappropriate behavior, it will cease, and whoever does it will ruin it for everyone else."

Everyone nodded, but Harry suddenly noticed all the female Prefects giving him and Ron interested looks. Both friends looked at each other nervously, then swallowed. They hadn't been expecting that....

Romilda stepped forward and attached herself to Harry's free arm as if it was the most normal thing in the world. She smiled brightly at him, her black hair curling gently around her face in a very attractive manner.

"So Harry, would you be able to show me my room? As Head Boy I would like for you to inspect my room for safety measures."

Harry felt his whole body stiffen at the suggestive tones in her voice. Looking nervously towards everyone else, he noticed that only Ron seemed to have heard, and was now dealing with Lavender and Natalie asking for him to inspect their rooms as well, the girls having caught on to what Romilda was doing.

Colin and Ritchie both looked like a deer caught in headlights as they stared at Hermione, wondering if they should ask her or if they would be asking for it.

Oddly enough, Hermione didn't seem to catch on to what the girls were doing, and told Colin and Ritchie that she would go into their rooms and inspect them before they went inside.

Harry watched as the two girls tugged Ron away, who had a naughty smile on his face as he wrapped his arms around both of their shoulders. The girls were giggling.

Harry reluctantly detached himself from Hermione and Romilda and started heading towards her room, hoping to get this over with quickly. The chance that anything was wrong with any of their rooms was so remote he had a better chance of meeting a dragon in the main common room.

Romilda chased after Harry to catch up to him, and then forcefully pushed her arm through his again and smiled at him almost stupidly (in Harry's exalted opinion) when he looked at her in shock. She just continued to smile as Harry pretended that she wasn't touching him and made it to her door.

Opening the portal, Harry first did a visual sweep of the room before he waved his wand across the whole room, silently saying _Specialis Revelio _in his head. When nothing changed or happened, Harry slightly bowed to Romilda and began to leave.

Romilda bit her lip uncertainly before she grabbed for Harry's arm again, tugging him back into her room and knocking him off balance. He nearly fell on her, which was fine with her, so she purposefully lost her balance and brought him with her.

Both hitting the floor hard, Harry grunted at the impact as his elbows and knees took the brunt of his fall. Giving Romilda an irritated look, he stood and started brushing himself off, not offering to help her up.

"Is there anything else you need, Romilda? Or do you want to annoy me further?" he said uncaringly.

She pouted, her lower lip poking out. She raised her hand in the air from her position on the floor and said, "You can help me up, Harry."

Harry visibly rolled his eyes and tugged her up none too gently. Thinking how stupid that was the instant she collided with his chest, he grabbed her arms to push her away, but she mistook it as him holding her closer to him and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Trying to back away, Harry tried to pry her arms from around him so he could escape, but she held on tight.

"I just wanted to thank you for checking my room, Harry. It was very sweet and it meant a lot to me," Romilda said softly, her eyes lowering seductively. Harry felt his own eyes widen and was helpless to prevent the kiss she placed on his cheek.

Thanking God the moment she released him, Harry was tempted to wipe his cheek off to show that he was disgusted, but he didn't because he didn't want to be so rude. It wasn't that Romilda was ugly, in fact it was quite the opposite, but he hardly knew her and she was being highly aggressive trying to gain his attention, something he wasn't used to from the opposite sex.

"Uh, um...you're welcome, Romilda. Any time," he said, then bashed his forehead mentally for saying _any time_ like an idiot. At her answering smile, Harry knew that he had just invited her to try it again.

Leaving her room, Harry realized that he was the only one in the common room. Glancing fearfully back at Romilda's room, Harry sighed with relief when he saw that her door was closed.

Several minutes later Ron immerged from Lavender's room with a cheesy grin on his face. Harry gave him a look and a raised eyebrow, silently inquiring as to what had transpired.

"Well, mate. Life is good," Ron said, clapping Harry on the back as he sat next to him on the love seat. He sat back and rested his head on the back of the seat, sighing contentedly.

Harry sat for several moments, still staring at his best friend, wondering what the hell had happened and why Ron looked so silly.

He punched him in the arm to gain his attention, earning a satisfying, "Ouch! Bastard!" from Ron.

"Well? Finish your story. You were in Lavender's room for quite a while and you came out looking like a bloody idiot."

Ron waggled his eyebrows at Harry, making the black haired boy snort. "Oh, well, you know how it is. She was thanking me for checking out her room...and I guess she missed me."

Harry quirked his eyebrow again. "So missing you...what does that involve, exactly?" He was curious as to how far Ron had gone with other girls compared to himself.

Ron crossed his arms across his chest and gave Harry a smug look. "Ever gone to second base before?"

Harry felt surprised. "You...you felt her..._chest?"_

Ron burst out laughing. "Chest sounds so stupid. How about boobs, or breasts, or tits? I prefer tits. Sounds manlier."

Harry shook his head, almost feeling sad for his friend. "So you felt her tits, is that it?"

Ron nodded and looked dreamy again. "It was nice. She has big ones too. Bigger than Hermione's, which is surprising, because Hermione is stacked, like I had no idea until today, with the way she was—"

Harry leaned over across the couch and punched Ron in the shoulder, yet again earning a loud "OUCH!"

"You're an idiot, Ron. There is a huge difference between Hermione and Lavender, and half of female population at that, and it's that Hermione isn't a slut and she isn't going to let any random guy feel her up. I'm sure you've learned by now that it isn't just all tits and sex or whatever. If you're looking for someone to spend the rest of your life with, then you can't just go around saying you like Hermione and then go screwing around with another girl. It's just too jacked up."

Ron looked at Harry, and then away, feeling slightly ashamed. "I know mate, but it's hard because I like getting attention from other girls, and Hermione just doesn't seem interested. Maybe I should just have fun now and worry about the whole 'soul mate' thing later?"

Harry just shook his head at him, disappointed. "Yeah. Maybe you should."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Please review!


	4. Party Time

**Author's Note**: Hey everyone! I want to thank everyone for their great reviews and constructive criticism (which only makes me a better writer!). Sorry I haven't posted in a few days but I'm in the United States Navy and the schedule sometimes makes it difficult for me to do anything. I just wanted to warn everyone again that this story is for MATURE readers only, there is going to be massive gore/sex scenes in this story at some point, so please don't be offended when these scenes actually occur. But anyhow, enjoy and let me know what you think!

Chapter Four: Party Time

Apparently Ron took the whole "search for a soul mate later" thing seriously, because early the next morning, Ron was immerging from Lavender's room. Harry stared at him from the couch totally aghast at his nerve, but then curiosity took over and he was prompting his friend over to the sofa to pry him for the goodies.

"What, when, where, and how," was the first thing out of Harry's mouth.

Ron plopped down on the squashy arm chair next to the sofa and grabbed the blanket lying next to Harry to cover himself up. Even though the fire was blazing, for some reason he felt cold. Maybe it was because he had gotten used to being toasty warm with Lav.

"I didn't stay with her all night if that's what you are wondering," Ron said, then yawned widely. "She randomly knocked on my door at about three and said she couldn't sleep and she was 'cold' so could I please keep her warm? Of course I bloody said yes."

Harry encouraged him to continue.

"Well, her definition of keeping warm was fooling around, and man, let me tell you what. We almost went all the way."

Harry felt his jaw drop. He scooted closer to his friend, wanting to keep quiet just in case anyone else was awake.

"You almost shagged_?"_ he whispered, not sure if he should be disgusted or if he should clap his friend on the back.

Ron stretched and yawned again. "Yeah, we only stopped because she said she didn't know the anti-pregnancy spell and she didn't want to get pregnant."

Harry felt amazed that Ron had only been back to school less than a day and he already almost had sex. Curiosity kept poking at him though, and he continued to ask Ron questions.

"So, what exactly did you do? What's it like?" he asked quietly. He had only ever kissed a girl, and he figured he should find out as much as he could for when he actually had a girlfriend that he could go further with. Thinking of a girlfriend made Ginny pop into his mind, which made him mentally frown. He was still upset with her. They really needed to talk.

"Well, it's hard to describe...especially without being...graphic," Ron said almost shyly, his face turning slightly red. Harry waved his shyness away.

"I don't care, just tell me."

Ron looked around to make sure no one was around or listening, and leaned even closer to Harry.

"I saw her naked. She was beautiful, all white and soft. I touched her everywhere, mate. She let me do almost anything I wanted, short of actually doing _it_."

Harry listened intently to Ron as he explained what she felt like, tasted like, and smelled like. He became descriptive when he talked about what her body looked like, especially _down there._ Harry felt his face turning pink as Ron tried to give details on it, but failed miserably. The only thing he accomplished was making Harry even more curious than before.

"But I was so nervous. I really didn't know what I was doing, or how to make her feel good. She tried to show me, but I think she was nervous too. I don't think she's ever done it before either." He shrugged. "She said that as soon as she finds out the spell she will let me know and we can do it. I'm so scared I'll mess up or hurt her or something. I have no clue on how to do those...things."

Harry didn't know anything either, unfortunately. He really didn't know who Ron could talk to, and he thought that it might be a good idea that he did before he did anything rash.

"I think you need to talk to someone who has actually done the...deed...before, Ron. If Lavender is willing to do this with you, she must really like you, and you don't need to mess this up. I doubt there are books in the library on this subject...but yeah, I bet someone in our year has done it before," Harry said, shrugging uncertainly. "I'm sorry I can't be of more help, mate."

Ron waved him away nonchalantly. "Don't worry about it. We have to learn some time, and what's a better time than now? It's Friday, and we don't have classes until Monday. Plenty of time to figure out what needs to be done. Oh, and hey! You should try hooking back up with my sister...I know that this sounds sick and all, but maybe you two can hit it off again...I would rather her than Romilda."

Both boys had a laugh at the dominating Romilda, who always got what she wanted when she wanted it. Both agreed that was pretty scary.

After breakfast the two walked around the castle on rounds, making sure that all was in order and that everyone was safe. Almost everyone was in their common rooms catching up from the long summer vacation or in the library studying. Usually this time of year lots of people would be outside on the castle grounds, but due to the circumstances all of the students were restricted from going outside unless it was for class or they had an escort.

Ron parted from Harry after he ran into a group of Gryffindor girls in the hallway requesting his presence. Waving him goodbye, Ron hurried after the giggling girls and disappeared around the corner.

Harry shook his head at Ron's popularity with the girls this year. He had no idea what had changed, or how Ron had become less shy, but he figured it had to do with getting older. He felt oddly...left out...but he shrugged it off. He had lots on his mind anyhow, and plenty to think of. He wanted to go to Dumbledore's—or rather, McGonagall's library—to see what he could find on Horcruxes, or even talk to his portrait to see what the old wizard had planned or if he had any ideas. His classes should be relatively easy this year, especially with McGonagall's permission to skip one here and there, and with being Head Boy, it made it even easier. No one would question his crazy wanderings around at night or if he left school grounds.

Realizing that he didn't have the password to McGonagall's office yet, he went looking for Hermione to see if she might know.

She wasn't in her room, wasn't in the common rooms, library, or Great Hall. Beginning to worry, Harry started looking randomly in all the halls of the castle, hoping that she might be roaming or going on rounds with Ernie Macmillan.

After searching for over an hour, Harry went back to the Gryffindor common room frustrated and annoyed. There had to be a better way to find Hermione, or even a way to summon her to him or something. If something was happening, how did they expect to get a Head or Prefect if they had no clue where they were?

Harry sat in the Head common room alone, silently sulking and reading his seventh year edition for Defense Against the Dark Arts book, hoping to get a head start on the other students. There was some honestly really good stuff in this book, much more complicated since it involved using mostly nonverbal magic.

Almost halfway through the book, Harry began coming across several very complicated spells that he couldn't wait to try out. Some of it seemed crazy, and he was so excited about trying it out that he stood up, picked up his wand, the book, and began to make his way to the Room of Requirement.

Finding the main common room almost empty except for younger students, Harry frowned and looked at his watch. It was almost seven at night, so dinner was over. So where was everyone?

Thinking of it now, he realized that he had been alone almost all day and had hardly seen anyone. His frown deepening, he left the tower and began searching for signs of life.

Making his way deeper into the castle, Harry ran into two Ravenclaw students stumbling down the hallway and almost tripping on each other. The couple giggled stupidly and continued on their way, not even noticing Harry.

A few more students, a couple from Hufflepuff and two from Gryffindor walked down the hall towards Harry, and he ran forward to greet them. Upon seeing him, all four decided that Harry plus running equaled bad and turned in the other direction, sprinting.

Sighing miserably, Harry swept his wand towards all four of the students and silently said _Impedimenta _in his mind.

All four students tripped in mid-step and fell. Harry made his way to them and looked down at the two fifth year Gryffindor students.

"Why were you running? Did you do something that should _warrant_ running?" Harry asked harshly, still pointing his wand at the students.

All four of them cowered on the floor with their arms over their heads as if Harry was a Death Eater. Slightly amused and annoyed at the same time, Harry flicked his wand at the group of fifth year students and levitated them in the air until they were standing well enough for him to release the spell. All four almost fell back onto the floor but managed to keep their balance, at which they all looked at each other with amazement and said, "Whoa."

The Hufflepuff girl looked with wonder at Harry. She clasped her hands together against her chest and stars grew in her eyes. "How did you do that?" she asked dreamily, reminding him faintly of Luna.

"_Locomotor Corpus._ You would already know the _Locomotor _spell if you ever read your books and paid attention in class; adding _Corpus_ is just having knowledge of the Latin language. You should study it some time. How do you think people invent new spells? They have to have at least some sort of knowledge in several other languages," Harry said irritably. He crossed his arms and stared at the four students, hoping to intimidate them. Apparently it worked because they started to cower again.

Before Harry could even open his mouth, the fifth year Gryffindor male (he didn't know his name) started spewing everything he knew.

"Listen, we don't want to get in trouble, we were just in the Room of Requirement, someone set up a party and invited all fifth years and above except for Slytherins. It was getting crazy in there with the sixth and seventh year students so we left. We aren't drunk or anything."

Stunned, Harry stared at the students for a few moments before he waved them away. They all glanced at each other, looked relieved, and then took off without another word.

Before Harry could think to ask them what to think of to get into the Room of Requirement, the students were gone. Sighing disdainfully, Harry walked down the hallway where the room would appear.

Walking in front of it three times and thinking _party_ in his mind, Harry wasn't surprised when the door opened. He _was_ surprised, however, when a sweet smelling pink smoke emerged from the open doorway and blasting music reached his ears. Wincing, he entered the dark room with flashing lights and dark dancing bodies.

Harry could barely see. There were people everywhere, all dancing or relaxing along the walls on stereo equipment or furniture. Numerous couples were making out or groping each other as he passed by warily, trying not to hit or be hit by anyone. His mind registered the band playing as _The Weird Sisters_, and people were head banging and swaying wildly to the upbeat tune.

He didn't know who he was looking for, and he also didn't know what to do as Head Boy in this situation. He had already recognized several Prefects, but no Heads.

"Harry! Oh, Harry, come dance with me!"

Harry barely had a chance to turn before he was being dragged on to the crowded dance floor and a female body was rubbing all over him. Afraid to know who was violating him, Harry peered through the darkness and visibly relaxed when he saw Ginny.

Nervousness started growing in the pit of his stomach as he stood there with her dancing with—or rather, _on_—him. He really didn't know what to do...he had danced before at the Yule Ball and (remembering somewhat embarrassingly) by himself in his bedroom at the Dursleys, but he had never danced liked _this_ with someone before.

"Come on, Harry! Move a little bit, don't be afraid!" Ginny yelled above the music right into his ear, moving her hips side to side and waving her arms in the air provocatively. She grabbed onto his hands when he continued to stand there stiffly, looking around at the other guys who were dancing around him. He felt like an idiot just standing there, and he had to admit...Ginny was making him uncomfortable by grinding her hips into his.

"Here, just move your hips a little bit and kinda move around," Ginny shouted, flinging her arms around his shoulders as he placed his hands at her waist. She giggled when he started "kinda moving around", and he couldn't help but smile as she placed a kiss on the side of his mouth.

"See, it isn't that hard! You are a fast learner, Harry," she said loudly, releasing him and flinging her head and glorious red hair around in the air to the beat of the music. It was an extremely fast, heavy beat, and with the lights flashing and the people bumping into him from all sides, Harry understood why everyone had been attracted to this party.

_It was fun._

Author's Note**: Weeee, Harry actually doing for real teenager stuff! But don't worry my dear readers; the good stuff aka "plot" is going to showing up next chapter! I know you've all been waiting :D Review and let me know what you think!**


	5. The Plot Thickens

**Author's Note**: Ooooooo, here cometh some plot! Lol.

* * *

Chapter Five: The Plot Thickens

Harry started understanding quickly why Ron had females chasing after him as the hours ticked by that night. The girls that ran to Ron were almost _all_ sixth year and younger students—he was more or less positive it had something to do with Ron being considered an "adult" in the wizarding world, and for some odd reason, that turned girls on. Being seventeen, about to graduate, being a much taller, more muscular, and more mature male...well, girls seemed to flock to it.

Surrounded by females, Harry couldn't drop the grin on his face.

Ginny had pulled him to the side after their first dance and had timidly apologized to him for what she had said, and that she knew she had hurt his feelings. Harry tried to explain to her that he _had_ really been upset, but it was so loud that he just said screw it and accepted her apology. Upon saying "It's ok, Ginny," the girl promptly jumped on him, nearly slamming him into the wall, and wildly made out with him. Never having experienced such enthusiasm, Harry just went along with it like a typical seventeen year old male. And by that, he meant that he let her do whatever she wanted to him. Thoughts of her older boyfriend never crossed his mind.

He had no idea during that time that Ginny really _was_ having her way with him; one of her hands had been lifting up his shirt, and when some idiot named Ron randomly ran into him, yelled, "Hey mate!" like a bloody loon, and yanked on his arm, Ginny quickly separated him from his shirt and Ron took him with him into the huge raving crowd. Shirtless, Harry glanced back to see Ginny with a dirty smile on her face and his shirt clutched in both of her hands against her chest.

Now he was shirtless, running around with Ron and numerous girls, dancing, being overall stupid, and laughing at foolish things that made absolutely no sense. Ron was totally drunk—Harry had no idea where the alcohol was coming from until he saw several girls and guys out on the dance floor with bottles in their hands. He also saw people passing glass jugs around, and when one was tossed to him by Ron, he looked at the label and saw _Gin._

He wasn't exactly sure what to do in this situation. He had never drunk alcohol before, but it was pretty funny to see Ron being a complete idiot—and by the looks of it, the group of three girls hanging all over him were drunk and having fun too.

Bringing the bottle to his lips, he tipped back the bottle.

And stopped instantly.

Nearly throwing the bottle back at a dazed Ron, he jumped up and almost went insane in the span of two seconds. Hermione was working her way through the crowd, and he couldn't tell by the look on her face if she was pissed or if she was just in disbelief at what was going on around her.

He didn't know what he should do. Should he act like he wasn't partying just like the rest of them, or should he just act like he was? He didn't want to lie to her, but he also didn't want to experience her wrath...or disappoint her.

Various lies ran through his head as he tried to come up with a good excuse, but they all seemed stupid and wouldn't clash with other people's stories if she happened to ask them. Basically, by all accounts, he was screwed if she saw him.

Oh, wonderful. She just saw him.

Lifting his hand in acknowledgement and smiling pathetically when she waved frantically at him, Harry felt his doom approaching.

"Harry, thank God! I've been looking all over for you!"

Shrugging pitifully, Harry laughed nervously when she reached him. She gave him a funny look and then a brief once over when she noticed he was bizarrely missing his shirt. The music was deafening, so she had to come close enough to him for him to hear. He stiffened nervously when she placed her cool hand against his bare chest and leaned towards his ear, saying loudly, "How long have you been here? It's nearly midnight and Professor McGonagall and I have been searching for you!"

Turning his head enough so that he could yell into her ear, "I've been here for a little while, I was about to come searching for you because I wasn't exactly sure what to do about this party." He hoped he sounded believable.

She pulled away and glanced despondently at the raving bodies around her. She shook her head, her light brown curls bouncing to and fro, and then looked back at him with disappointment. He didn't know if the disappointment was directed at him or otherwise. "I don't know how you lost your shirt; I'm not going to ask. Just find one and meet me outside."

Delight surged through him at the possibility of escaping unscathed. Suddenly tasked with finding a shirt, Harry searched around for Ginny as Hermione disappeared into the crowd towards the exit.

Unable to spot the tiny redhead, Harry turned to another. Seeing Ron laying about on a funky looking sofa, he promptly began relieving his friend of his shirt. Ron grunted drunkenly as Harry pulled his shirt above his head and, without delay, tugged it over his own. It fit pretty well since he and Ron were almost the same size now. Flexing his shoulders, he changed his mind. His shoulders were broader than Ron's and it was a little tight.

The giggles of the three girls hanging on the half-dressed Ron faded quickly as Harry left the Room of Requirement. He spotted Hermione leaning against the wall beside the doorway and moved towards her, pink smoke wafting around him.

He stood next to her for a while as she continued to lean against the cold stone, her lit wand flicking back and forth against one of her crossed arms as if she was thinking. Harry briefly felt a pang of fear at her stillness, thinking that maybe she really was mad at him.

Hermione sighed and at looked up at her friend. She pushed up off the wall and began walking leisurely towards the center of the castle.

Harry followed slightly behind her, still silent. He really didn't know what to say, didn't know if Hermione thought he had been partying or trying to break up it up. He didn't know how it would be possible for him to get away with it, considering his state of attire when she found him. Either way, he figured he would get himself into more trouble if he opened his trap, so he kept it closed.

"Ron is such a bloody git," Hermione murmured suddenly, drawing his attention. "Did you see him in there, laying there, completely sodden? You would think he would at least be _supervising_ this _totally _unauthorized party, but no, he's _involved in it!"_

Harry looked around nervously, hoping that no one was overhearing this. He knew there shouldn't technically be any students out at this time unless you were a Head or Prefect, but he would rather be safe than sorry. He didn't need some random Slytherin overhearing this particular conversation.

Hermione ran her hand through her wildly curling hair and made it puff out at odd angles. Harry smiled to himself at the sight. It was cute.

"Harry, I know that you and Ron are pretty close, but it's obvious that Ron is going on a different path this year than the last six. I've already noticed how _friendly_ the girls are being with him—for whatever reason—and I know that if I said anything he would just get mad at me." She stopped in the middle of the hallway and looked at him imploringly. Harry halted at her sudden movement and almost ran into her. He noticed that her face was flushed and she looked extremely frustrated, if the clenching and unclenching of her fists were any indication.

"You need to make sure that Ron doesn't do anything stupid, Harry. I trust you...but unfortunately...I don't trust Ron. Already he is showing immature behavior unbecoming of a Prefect, and I am worried that I am going to have to fire him. I don't want to do that, especially with everything that is going on with Voldemort, all of us being in important positions is going to help immensely." She sighed loudly and grabbed handfuls of her hair with both hands as if she was frustrated. A curl wrapped around her wand. "I wish..." She sighed again, more softly. She dropped her hands and looked at the floor as she shook her head. "Never mind."

Harry gave her a confused look, completely mystified about what was going on. All he discerned from this whole conversation was to look out for Ron and cease his friend's stupidity...like that was ever going to happen.

Hermione continued on her way and Harry leapt forward to catch up to her. "So...where exactly are we going?" he asked timidly.

Hermione's demeanor changed completely as she smiled brightly and grabbed his arm to pull him to her side. She leaned closer to him and whispered conspiratorially, "We are going to see Headmistress McGonagall. We have much to talk about."

Harry wondered if that was a good thing.

"Ah, Mr. Potter. So glad you could finally join us. Miss Granger here has been searching for you for the past hour."

Harry had the nerve to blush, something that Hermione caught but didn't say anything about. She knew that Harry had been partying just like Ron (maybe not as hardcore), but she wouldn't rat him out to their professor. Harry was much more different than Ron, and she knew that whatever had tempted Harry to go to that party, more than likely her speech about being responsible would prevent such behaviors like that again in the future.

"But I digress," McGonagall continued. "There is much that I want to discuss with you, Harry. Miss Granger and I have been talking for the past several hours, planning and coming up with ideas in your absence. I wanted to have a long talk with you about quite a few things, so I need you to hear me out. Please, have a seat."

Hermione saw Harry begin to look nervous out of the corner of her eye. He adjusted his glasses on the bridge of his nose and fidgeted slightly in his chair after he sat down.

The room was very comfortable and warm. It was much like how Headmaster Dumbledore had it set up, but with much fewer magical objects clicking and clacking in the background. Every one of the portraits in the background was sleeping, including the former Headmaster himself. Hermione had noticed when she had first arrived that he had been sleeping then as well. Odd.

Professor McGonagall shuffled several papers in front of her as if she was gathering all the information she wanted to talk about. The glasses on her nose fell slightly as she read some of the writing on the document in her hand. She was silent for a few moments before she glanced back up, slightly startling Harry. Hermione fought the urge to giggle. He was so nervous. She wondered why.

"First things first, Harry. I wanted to make sure that you are, at least so far, comfortable in your position as Head Boy. I know the decision came upon you quickly, but I knew that you were the perfect choice for a replacement. As I am sure you know, if it weren't for this whole...Voldemort issue, you would have been placed in the Prefect position in fifth year...but Albus thought that you had enough on your plate and didn't need to be worrying about the whole student population. Well...unfortunately...Albus is gone now, and I am in charge." She stared directly at him, almost as if she were searching for something. "You are seventeen years old now, Harry. I believe you to be one of the most mature young men of your age that I have ever met, so I was willing to give you this challenge. If you believe...even for a moment, that you cannot handle it, I will relieve you of this position and return you to the regular student status with no penalties. I understand that you now have even _more_ on your plate as Albus would say, but I think you have the capacity as well to handle it."

Harry sat there absolutely stunned at how highly McGonagall seemed to regard him. He certainly didn't hold himself in such high esteem.

Hermione grinned when Harry began scratching the back of his head, a nervous habit he'd had since she'd known him.

"Um, thank you, Professor. So far I haven't had any problems, so I think I will be able to handle it. I promise I will let you know if I have any issues."

McGonagall turned a maternal smile upon the young man. "Very well. Now, let's see what else I have here....."

Harry felt himself leaning forward with curiosity, almost as if he was trying to read what was on the paper before the elderly woman. Hermione chuckled in the background.

"Now I'm sure you haven't heard anything about any happenings the last two days since you've been back to school, so I am going to enlighten you. Several days ago there was an attack on Diagon Alley that destroyed many of the buildings and killed a number of innocent people. The Ministry is currently planning on closing Diagon Alley until further notice. However, Gringott's will more than likely be staying open since Goblins don't particularly care for this war. So, bad news is that Diagon Alley will be closing, and good news is that Gringott's will be staying open. Now," she said, looking pointedly at Harry once more.

Hermione listened intently and tried to keep a straight face as Harry continued to squirm and stiffen nervously in his seat alternatively. It was as if he was waiting to get in trouble for something. She shrugged to herself, thinking, _well, Harry does tend to get into a lot of trouble, and he also isn't used to sitting in front of Professor McGonagall as Headmistress._

Harry glanced at Hermione out of the corner of his eye at saw her smiling. He wondered what in the world could be funny right then, but McGonagall continued.

"Now Harry, I brought up Diagon Alley for two reasons. Number one...it seems that on the day of the attack on Diagon Alley you were present...and not only were you present, but you illegally Apparated not once, but _twice._"

Harry began to look increasingly uncomfortable as McGonagall leveled a stare on him. "Now I can understand the reason for secrecy and going by yourself, but it was very irresponsible. I would have preferred you coming to school with no supplies and nothing but the clothes on your back instead of you doing something illegal and so dangerous. Because of your illegitimate activities, the Ministry has contacted me in light of you no longer having a legal guardian and because you are of age, and I was told to pass along the following information."

She lifted a piece of parchment in front of her and began to read:

_Dear Mr. Harry James Potter, student of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry,_

_Mr. Potter has hereby had his Apparition privileges revoked for the next 365 days, beginning on the date of the alleged illegitimate Apparition. Seeing as how Mr. Potter has never taken his test, he will be unqualified to take his test until his suspension has been served. Mr. Potter was observed both Apparating and Disapparating illegally on August 29; therefore, the normal suspension of 182 days was extended to 365 days. If you have any questions, please contact the Department of Apparition._

_Glad to be of service,_

_Bartholomew Collins_

_Head of the Department of Apparition_

Hermione sat there, completely shocked. She didn't even realize that Harry hadn't ever gotten his Apparition license, but she remembered that he had been too young at the time that everyone else had gotten theirs. She felt sad about it, but she wasn't particularly worried. If Harry ever needed to get somewhere she was sure he would find other ways.

Harry sat there apprehensively, looking anywhere but at Professor McGonagall. He really had nothing to say; he _had_ done something illegal, but he hadn't figured that was the type of thing that could be detected. Thinking on it now, he should of thought about his actions a little bit more thoroughly before he had went to Diagon Alley, but he had been so frustrated with everyone neglecting him that he had just lost his sense of caring. Feeling the stirrings of anger, Harry frowned and sat back in the chair until he was slouching.

Professor McGonagall shuffled some papers before her, and then sighed audibly. "Harry, I understand that sometimes these things happen, so do not worry. I am sure that if I talked to the right person that I could have this changed. However, it would almost be pointless because we don't know who we can trust at the Ministry, and if you went there personally, I would be afraid of someone attacking you."

Harry snorted in an ungentlemanly manner. McGonagall glared at him, but then shook her head and continued. "Another reason why I was informing you about Diagon Alley is because Professor Dumbledore had some papers stashed away in his desk that were meant for you." Harry perked up slightly, wondering why Dumbledore'd had papers for him hidden in his desk.

"It looks like they were recent before his death, so I believe that he didn't get a chance to give them to you," the professor continued, looking through several sheets of aged parchment. "It appears to have something to do with Sirius and the Black family heirlooms and inheritance. I read through it briefly, and it looks like it has something to do with a continuation of the will that Sirius left you originally. It seems that the Black family had disowned Sirius at a relatively young age, but seeing as how he was the only Black left alive in the direct lineage, the Ministry determined that anything and everything that was taken away from him was to be returned. Now the complicated part is that Sirius left you absolutely everything that he owned: Grimmauld, any money he had in his personal savings, his belongings, everything. Now that wasn't a substantial amount since his mother had disowned him, but upon his death when the Ministry discovered that he _had_ to be the receiver of all the Black inheritance, and that Sirius had left everything to you, that you, Harry, were inadvertently the person to receive the Black family inheritance."

Shocked, Harry gaped at the Headmistress with a blank face. "So...does that mean something in particular?"

McGonagall leaned forward and handed Harry a stack of paperwork. He took it without hesitation. "Well, Harry, it can mean several things. I don't specifically know what kind of personal belongings the Blacks had, but their family was _extremely_ prominent and pureblood, so usually those families had vast fortunes. There is a Gringott's vault number listed there. Sometime in the future you will have to go claim whatever is in that vault."

Harry nodded as he looked through the papers briefly. Some of it looked aged and some of it new. He would have to ask Hermione to go over it with him, because just glancing at it confused him with its technical terms. He looked over at her, and saw her glancing down at the papers in his lap.

Harry's attention was drawn away from the papers when McGonagall stood. He watched as she came around her desk and positioned herself in front of him. As if understanding that she wanted him to stand, he got up out of his chair and stood before her.

Her voice became low and careful. "Harry, I know things...things that Dumbledore had kept private between the two of you. After his passing, his portrait relayed much of what had happened. However, seeing as how it is past one in the morning, I am going to suggest that we all seek our beds and continue this discussion some other time. Until the next time I am able to meet with you, Mr. Potter, I want you to research and learn everything and everything you can about Voldemort and how you can defeat him." She stopped, then smiled gently at the sight of Hermione standing close next to Harry, almost like a guardian. "Miss Granger is willing to spend a lot of her time helping you, Harry, and I think that it would be wise to follow and listen to her. I don't recall a time where she has ever led you astray."

Harry nodded in agreement. He almost wanted to laugh at the professor, because he and Hermione had followed each other through thick and thin, no matter what the situation, even when Ron hadn't. He also wasn't stupid...he couldn't think of a time where Hermione's knowledge hadn't been valuable.

"I will, Professor McGonagall."

* * *

**Author's Note**: Let me know what you think! Next chapter is so very, very dark and yummy :D


	6. Over It

**Author's Note**: Well, here is yet another chapter! The second half of this chapter was inspired by the songs "One Step at a Time" by Jordin Sparks and "Over It" by Katherine McPhee. Please review and let me know what you think!

* * *

Chapter Six: Over It

Harry collapsed upon his bed, utterly grateful for its comfort after such a long discussion with Professor McGonagall. He was undeniably happy that he didn't have to wake up early tomorrow, seeing as how it was nearing one thirty in the morning. He had gotten used to being able to sleep when and however long he had wanted when he had been at Grimmauld, and he definitely planned on sleeping in now.

Not even bothering to put on pajamas (like he had gotten into the habit of when he had been living alone), he just pulled off his clothes and slipped underneath the blanket in his boxers. Having his own private room was truly amazing.

Almost as soon as his head hit the pillow and his eyes closed, Harry drifted off into the land of slumber.

"Draco...you disappoint me."

Draco Malfoy was on all fours, his face nearly to the filthy floor in subservience. He hoped that by bowing and scraping to the best of his ability...he would live.

"I tasked you with something that you only...how shall I say this...you only _somewhat_ accomplished. I wanted you, and _only_ you, Draco, to prove your faithfulness to me by killing Dumbledore. But...Snape had to do that for you. And stop prostrating yourself before me. You are irritating me by just staring at the floor."

Draco jumped up to his feet instantly, but he was afraid to look at _his_ _face_. He feared the sight of him, and _he_ knew that. Draco was almost positive that pleased him.

"So young...so infantile. You, Draco, have much to learn yet. Fortunately for you, Snape took the fall for your folly, and you were saved. I believe you are redeemable, so therefore I will task you with something new. If you fail me once more...I will not even hesitate to kill you. After I torture you and your family, of course."

Draco felt his body begin to tremble at the thought of being tortured. He had witnessed many..._too many_ tortures to even _begin_ to fathom. He had observed some of the cruelest and most evil things he had ever seen in his life in this dark and dank hall. He had nightmares every night because of what he had seen, and he preferred not to have to go through that personally. He would rather die or...or even kill himself than go through whatever would happen to him if he did not succeed. The Death Eaters...his brethren...they didn't care who they killed or tortured, even if it was one of their own. He had to prevent that outcome...no matter what.

"My Lord," a feminine voice purred, making Draco's stomach turn. Yet another person he feared to the point of near hysteria.

"Ah, Bellatrix. My one and only true servant. You could learn many things from Bella, Draco. She would flay her own flesh for me. Would you ever do that for me, Draco? Would you give your life for me? For the cause?"

Draco swallowed so hard he knew it was audible. He nodded his head up and down, but he knew it looked hesitant. "Y-yes, my Lord. I would d-die for you if it meant ridding this planet of all mudbloods and half-bloods in a s-second."

Draco heard a mixture of male and female chuckles and he had to fight his gag reflex. Those two...even just standing together...made him simply want to throw up. They were an aspect completely separate from the revolting things he had witnessed....

"My Lord, I think you should just kill him. He is practically useless. What can a child do that I cannot?"

Another pleased laugh. "Bella, you amuse me greatly. That is one of the many reasons as to why you are by far my favorite. None of these petulant rats would do half the things that you have for me."

Draco felt something acidic gathering in the back of his throat as he heard Bellatrix murmur a low, "Mmmm...My Lord, you flatter me. You know that if you asked it of me, I would do it."

"Would you now, Bella?"

"Mmhmmm, my Lord. I would do anything."

Draco couldn't help lifting his eyes to see if what he thought was transpiring was really happening. Instantly his hand lifted to his mouth to stop the vomit that wanted to propel itself from his burning throat. The Dark Lord had his arm wrapped around Bellatrix's waist as she leaned her small frame against him, and it looked like she was rubbing herself against him provocatively. In the next moment, Draco watched with absolute horror as a snake-like tongue curled around Bellatrix's pink one, and their mouths merged together.

Vomit flew from his mouth.

At the sound of his lunch hitting the cold floor, the odd couple separated as if insulted or caught off guard. Draco bent over, his hand over his stomach, as he fought not to be sick again. _Oh God. That...that was so...so fucking disgusting._

"_Crucio!" _Bellatrix shrieked out of nowhere. Draco screamed in absolute agony as his whole body caught on fire and was ripped apart from the inside out. As he writhed on the floor, he could hear the woman yelling about how he dared to defile this glorious room with his putrid retch.

Then the pain stopped.

Sobs erupted from his throat as he curled up in a ball on the floor in his own throw up.

"You vile little boy. How _dare_ you—!"

"Bellatrix, that is enough."

Instantly the woman bowed and became silent.

"Draco here really has no idea of the things he has yet to witness. Or, for that matter, is _about_ to witness."

Draco struggled to raise his head to look up at the Dark Lord and Bellatrix Lestrange. He saw the snake-like man turn towards Bellatrix and give her a muted command, and then he turned back to him. He curled into a tighter ball.

Suddenly he was lifted off his feet and was hovering in the air. He felt his arms, legs, and eyelids pried apart as if by a machine. Unable to blink, he stared at Voldemort and Bellatrix across the dark chamber.

Bellatrix began to disrobe.

Draco screamed, but no noise came out.

* * *

Harry screamed.

Clutching his throat in surprise when sound erupted, he felt himself hyperventilating almost immediately after his ragged cry. Grabbing at both his throat and chest, he struggled to get air into his lungs. Silent tears were pouring down his cheeks as his brain resisted the images in his mind's eye. Bellatrix Lestrange and Voldemort...oh God...he had seen it all....

Unbidden visions were thrust before his eyes and he covered his face with his fists, fighting the urge to sob. Of all the things he had ever seen in his dreams, in his _life_, this was by far the worst. Bellatrix...kneeling naked...Voldemort...standing before her...Draco screaming hysterically at the sight, but no noise was coming out of his mouth....

Unable to stop the bile that rose in his throat, Harry threw up all over his blanket. Suddenly able to breathe, he sucked in precious air, but almost as soon as he drew in a breath, his throat closed again.

He didn't know how long he sat there, fighting to breathe, fighting to keep those..._images_...out of his head. It felt like hours had gone by before he was finally calm enough to control his constricted throat and draw in air normally. Shaking violently, he crawled out of bed and grabbed his wand. Mechanically he said the spell to clean his vomit from his bed and from himself. Blindly setting his wand back on the bedside stand, Harry walked out of his room with his arms wrapped around himself. He didn't even know why he was leaving his room in the first place; he just knew that he had to.

From another person's point of view, one would have said that Harry Potter looked like a lost little boy.

Unaware of another presence, he was suddenly enveloped in a warm, soft blanket. Jumping nearly out of his skin, he heard a murmured, "Shh," and instantly recognized Hermione's voice. Unable to see clearly, he was able to discern enough of her wildly curling hair to be able to physically tell it was her.

"Hey, mate, you ok?"

Harry jerked slightly when he heard the slightly slurred voice of Ron on his other side. He relaxed when he finally realized both of his friends were at his side, guiding him to the front of the blazing fire. Hermione helped him sit right in front of the hearth and then she adjusted the blanket around him until she was satisfied that he would be comfortable.

Harry felt rather than saw her move to his other side and help Ron sit down as well. He could still smell the alcohol on Ron, and his stomach churned.

A few moments later Hermione attached herself to his side and was running her fingers through his hair. He felt his eyes becoming heavy with the relaxing motions of her hand.

"I heard you cry out, Harry," she said softly. That was all she said. She didn't pry for information. He felt grateful that she wasn't asking.

"What was your...your dream about, Harry," Ron garbled almost incoherently. Harry heard Hermione snort at her other friend's rudeness, and then she disappeared from his side again. He found himself having to support his own weight. He guessed that he had been leaning against her.

"Ronald Weasley, you make me sick," Hermione whispered fiercely. "I woke you up so that we could make sure Harry was ok, and I am not going to make sure that _both_ of you are alright. Go back to bed, you git."

Ron mumbled some and then Harry heard him stumble back into his room and close the door loudly behind him. A few moments later he heard his obnoxious snoring. He wondered if he had ever been fully awake.

Hermione sighed when she sat down next to him once more, alerting him to her presence. She grabbed a hold of his arm through the blanket and moved as close as she could to him. Harry felt oddly comforted that she wanted to be near him. He felt safe.

He sat there for a long time, how long he didn't know. He was pretty sure that he was drowsing in and out of sleep, because sometimes he would startle awake and he would find his head on her shoulder, or he would be sleeping curled up next to her on the sofa. Every time he awoke however, she was there with her fingers in his hair, her cool hand on his forehead, or her dulcet tones in his ear.

They must have been there for quite a while, because she woke him up when she heard people moving about in their rooms.

"Harry...Harry, you need to wake up. Everyone is getting up and they don't need to see you like this."

Harry blinked open his eyes reluctantly, and he couldn't help but smile when he got a face full of curly hair. Swatting at it, he yawned, stretched, and sat up slowly.

"What time is it?" he said around another long yawn, placing his hand on the back of the sofa to help himself stand.

It was silent for a long, drawn out moment, and he turned toward her blur still sitting on the couch. "Hermione?"

"I...ugh, it's um, I think it's like...around eight or something. Yeah, eight. It's eight," she said, then laughed nervously.

Frowning at her halted speech, Harry wondered if something was wrong, but then held out his hand to help her off the sofa. Almost instantly she let out a strangled "eep" that made the frown come back.

"Is something wrong, Hermione?" he asked concernedly. She was acting bizarre, and it was hard to tell if something was wrong because he could barely see.

"Um...heh...Harry, why don't you put this blanket on around you? You um, aren't wearing any clothes."

Instantly his face was on fire. Frantically grabbing the blanket that she held out to him, he wrapped it around himself like he was a mummy. He prayed to any god available at that moment that she hadn't seen anything indecent.

Hermione was happy that Harry didn't have his glasses on because her face was more than likely flaming like a tomato. Last night when he had come out of his room wearing only his knickers, she hadn't thought much of it because she had been so worried about him after hearing him scream hysterically at the top of his lungs. But now it was morning and the common room was brightly lit, and she could see _everything._ She had caught herself openly gaping at the sight of him stretching, his muscles flexing with the movement, and then as he had stood, _oh God_. She was pretty sure her jaw had dropped at the sight of her best friend nearly naked. His pitch black hair, ruffled and sticking out in every direction, looked so incredibly sexy that the breath in her throat had caught in utter surprise. He looked so different not wearing glasses, and oddly enough it made him look devastatingly rugged with the light sprinkling of hair along his jaw line. Her hands had leapt to her burning cheeks as her treacherous eyes had traveled down lower, taking in his surprisingly broad and muscular chest. She had never seen so much of Harry before, or any man for that matter, and as her evil eyes continued their willing decent, she felt her breath stalling in her throat once again. His stomach was flat, defined with just the perfect amount of muscle, and there was a faint trail of hair leading from his belly button down to under—

And his voice calling her name had interrupted her sinful appraisal of his body. Completely caught off guard, she hadn't even _realized _that he had been talking to her.

Now he was wrapped up in the blanket, looking somewhat uncomfortable standing there with his own face aflame. At a loss for what else to do, she decided to play it off.

Standing, she placed her hand on his back. She felt him stiffen even through the layers of the blanket, and she dropped her hand. "Did you want to go back to bed?" she asked, unable to think of anything else to say. She herself had gotten very little sleep, afraid that he would wake up again from recurring nightmares. She had promised herself that she would watch over him to make sure he slept soundly, and thankfully he had. She knew how much Harry suffered...and if she could help her friend, then she would.

"I...I think I'm going to stay up. I'm um...I'm going to go get dressed. Did you ugh, want to go to breakfast?" he questioned, clearly ill at ease standing there. She almost wanted to laugh, because it was endearing to see him flustered.

"Yeah, that sounds great. I'll go get changed and meet you in the common room in a few minutes."

Harry tried not to look like he was trying to get out of there as quickly as possible, so he attempted playing off his mortification by walking to his door normally. As soon as he heard Hermione's door close, he sprinted the rest of the distance to his room and nearly slammed the door.

_I seriously hope she didn't see anything that would make me want to kill myself from humiliation. Please, whoever is listening, don't let there have been anything sticking or poking out...please, please, please, PLEASE._

Unable to do anything further, he decided to get dressed and start his day. He figured he could take a bath after breakfast and then maybe get some studying in. The seventh year Defense Against the Dark Arts book had held an incredible amount of information that he was really excited about trying out for himself. Maybe Ron or Hermione would be interested in trying it out with him. Hermione more than likely would love to, but Ron...well, he would probably sleep the whole day after last night.

He continued his random trains of thought as he got dressed, his dream from last night all but forgotten...for now.

* * *

Surprisingly enough, Ron was present at breakfast when Harry and Hermione reached the Gryffindor table. His eyes were bloodshot and he looked a little green around the gills, but he was there. Lavender was sitting next to him, and Harry had a feeling that Ron being awake had something to do with her.

"Good morning," Hermione chirped, sitting down in between Harry and Ron like she normally did. Helping herself to some warm toast, she began buttering it.

Ron was mumbling and groaning, and Harry caught Hermione trying to keep a straight face. Amused, he nudged her side and nodded his head in Ron's direction.

"So...Ron. How are you feeling this fine morning?"

Ron groaned miserably and plopped his head down on the table. Immediately after, he winced and grabbed his forehead. Hermione giggled.

Harry smiled when he heard Hermione's giggle. It was fun making her laugh, especially at Ron's expense.

"Shut it, Harry. Bloody hell my head hurts," Ron complained, trying to cover his ears.

Harry smirked. "Come on, Ronnikins. You haven't even eaten your breakfast. And Hermione and I were going to go study some new seventh year spells before we do them in class to get a head start. We thought you would come."

Ron mumbled something under his breath and pressed his hands against his ears harder, his face still smothered in the table.

Hermione thought that it was hilarious to see Ron suffering so horribly. This was just what he needed. Hopefully he would learn not to drink, especially as a Prefect. She set out to make his life a little more miserable.

"Here, Ron. Let me make you up a plate. Here's some sausage, oh, and I know you like these! And here's some eggs and—"

"Bloody hell! Bugger off you bleedin' bint!" Ron yelled at her, his entire face red.

Hermione gasped. Horrified that the rest of the school had heard the Prefect call her that, she looked around and was only slightly grateful to see that only several Gryffindors had heard him. They were staring at her. Embarrassment flooded her features, and she found herself at a loss for what to do. Staring at him, hurt in her eyes, she fled the table.

Harry sat there, shock visible on his face at what his friend had just called Hermione. Tempted to grab him and shake him for his stupidity, Harry stood and grabbed the back of his shirt, nearly lifting him out of his seat. "You have some nerve, Ron. After everything she has done for you, how dare you call her that? How dare you embarrass her like that?" Giving his best mate a disgusted look, Harry dropped him into his seat. "I will deal with you later, Ron," Harry threatened under his breath, knowing that his friend had heard him by the obvious widening of his red eyes.

Grabbing his rucksack and stalking away, Harry waited until he was out of view of the Great Hall before he started running, trying to catch up to Hermione. Thoughts filled his head at what kind of punishment he would have to deal out to Ron for insulting the Chief Head Girl as a Prefect, and he wondered fearfully if Hermione would demand that he be fired. He hoped not, but Ron hadn't had a single reason for calling Hermione that. He didn't care if his head hurt or he felt like throwing up. He just simply had no right.

He found her walking down the corridor towards the Room of Requirement, their planned destination after breakfast. She was swinging her wand through the air, making multi-colored sparks shoot out and swirl around in the air before they dissipated. It was actually very pretty, he thought awkwardly, and then he wondered where she had learned it.

"Hermione," he called out, halting next to her when she stopped by an enormous stained glass window depicting a wizard fighting a dragon. She looked up at him, and he felt his breath catch at the sight. The sun was shining through the window and into the strands of hair curling uncontrollably around her face. Her skin...her hair...she looked like she was _glowing_. Her hair looked almost like it was on fire, especially with the little ringlets twisting about, looking like wisps of flame. He couldn't stop staring.

She looked away, causing his trance to break. Harry wondered briefly if she had somehow charmed him, but he knew she would never do that. It was just so odd though...the way the sun had been perfectly aligned to shine through her hair like that, making her hair color to change into a multitude of gleaming browns, yellows, and reds. He had never noticed she had so many different shades in her hair.

Shaking off the momentary stun, he reached for her arm and made her look back up at him. She hadn't been crying, but her eyes were sad enough to look like she wanted to.

"Are you ok?" he asked inelegantly, not knowing what else to say.

She shrugged, her head down and her hair falling into her face. She began scuffing the floor with her shoe. "I'm fine. Just...just disappointed. And embarrassed beyond measure. I thought that...I thought that maybe Ron was beginning to mature beyond the point of needlessly insulting me. Telling me to be quiet would have worked just as well...but I guess not."

Harry forced a smile for her, and he was surprised when she saw the look on his face and smiled back, except hers wasn't false. It was determined. "I'm so over it, Harry," she whispered, and Harry stared at her as her brown eyes caught his green ones. Her smile began fading slowly as she began talking. "All these years...all these years I have waited for him to grow up, but he hasn't. He just keeps hurting me, and I'm so over him. I'm not going to wait anymore, Harry. I'm not waiting anymore."

Tears were pouring down her flushed face by the time she was done speaking, and he was held transfixed by the sight. In the next second she threw herself against him, and Harry held her against him as she broke down. With her sobbing against his shoulder, Harry felt his expression harden. All these years he had known that Ron and Hermione had had some sort of a thing for each other, but he had thought Hermione had been over it. He guessed that he had been wrong...because by what she had just said, she had been waiting for him. All these years, Hermione had been waiting for Ron to grow up into the man that she thought he could be, but he hadn't...and this was the last straw for her.

He made a vow at that moment. Tightening his hold on the woman crying her heart out against his chest, he promised that no one would ever hurt her again if he had anything to do about it.

* * *

**Author's Note**: If anyone is wondering what "bint" means in British terminology, here is one of the numerous definitions:

To mean 'girlfriend' or 'bit-on-the-side'. It is used as a derogatory slang word in the United Kingdom meaning woman or girl. Usage varies from the harsh 'bitch', to only a slightly derogatory, almost affectionate, term for a young woman.

Take a guess at which one I was leaning more towards :D

As you can see, Harry and Hermione are starting to slowly but surely get closer. The next chapter is going to be very important concerning the development of the story and where I want it to go.

Please review and let me know what you think!


End file.
